


All That Glitters Is Blonde

by StarlightDragon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Attempted Sexual Assault, Clothing, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gabriel in Dresses, Gender Issues, Happy Ending, Implied Castiel/Dean Winchester, Law School, Legally Blonde, M/M, Makeup, Marriage Proposal, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Gabriel, Past Gabriel/Kali (Supernatural), Self Confidence Issues, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:14:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 61,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9376091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightDragon/pseuds/StarlightDragon
Summary: Legally Blonde AU. Gabriel Novak has everything he’s ever wanted - he’s the president of his sorority, has a perfect GPA and a future in fashion, and he’s getting ready to propose to the girl of his dreams. But Kali’s sudden, unexpected rejection sends him down a path he’d never expected to go - to law school.





	1. A Blonde Walks Into A Bar

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the SPN AU Big Bang 2016! Honestly I had this idea forever ago and have been planning to write it for the longest time, and this is in general a really important fic to me for lots of reasons, so it's amazing to finally be able to post it.
> 
> The stunning art by @stanfordbaby can be found ♡ [here](http://stanfordbaby.tumblr.com/post/156024004495/all-that-glitters-is-blonde-by-casandsip-legally) ♡

Gabriel took a deep breath and flicked the brush of his eyeliner, forming a second sparkly gold wing. He squinted, inspecting each side of his face. They weren't perfect - one of them was slightly shorter and slightly thicker - but they were about as good as he was going to get. And when his hair fell in front of his face, he was quite sure nobody would notice. 

Besides. He was very much hoping that after tonight, people's attention would be on his hands rather than his face.

There was a minor commotion from behind him - a chorus of  'ruffs' coming from his corgi, who scampered over to him, carrying a pink envelope in his mouth.

"What's this, Loki?" Gabriel purred, taking the letter from the dog's mouth and opening it. He pulled out a huge, handmade card - pink, again, with a sparkly heart emblazoned on the front. 'Good Luck Tonight - Gabriel & Kali Forever', the heart read, and on the inside, all of the girls had signed it for him.

Gabriel beamed. It didn't exactly help him feel less nervous, but it was still good knowing that he had everyone's support.

He opened the door, to find his three best friends waiting for him right outside. Jess and Meg each took one of his arms and led him to his car, while Jo took his purse and held it to protect it as she hurried alongside them. Gabriel's pink convertible was in the only parking spot outside the sorority house that was constantly in the shade, so the leather seats were cool when the three of them climbed in and sped off to the mall.

Not twenty minutes later, Gabriel stood in front of a rack of dresses, sighing. Why the hell hadn't he made this decision earlier? He'd seen this coming for months, he'd had plenty of time to prepare, and yet for some reason he'd put off choosing the perfect outfit until the very last moment. And it had to be special. This was a night he was going to remember for the rest of his life, after all.

"I think you should go with the red," Jo commented, and Gabriel turned to look in the mirror again. He did like the red. And he knew Kali liked red too, so it made sense for that reason. But at the same time...

"Kali likes red, I wear red around her all the time. This has to be... something else, you know, something that's going to stun her. I'm proposing. It can't just be like any other night."

He pulled another dress off the rack, this one bright turquoise and covered in sequins. "What about something like this?"

"Too showy. Not sophisticated enough," said Meg. "Good boyfriend dress, but not a good husband dress, you know what I mean?"

Gabriel nodded and sighed. He knew exactly what she meant. The problem was that short of putting on a wedding dress - which was a step too far even for him - he didn't know what he could wear that  _ would _ be a good husband dress. 

He heard someone clear his throat behind him, and he turned around. A shop assistant was there, a dress draped over her arm, and she was staring down at him with a judgmental look in her eyes.

Gabriel was used to this. He'd been shopping at dress stores for years now, ever since he'd come to college and realized he didn't give a flying fuck what anyone else thought of him, he was young and beautiful and he was going to wear whatever the hell he wanted. But somehow, everyone he encountered seemed to think they were the first ever person to tell him that they didn't approve.

"Did you see this one? We just got it in yesterday."

Gabriel plastered on a huge, fake smile, taking the dress and running it through his fingers. He wasn't surprised nobody had bought it yet. This was the kind of material that clung in all the wrong ways.

"Is this low viscosity rayon?" Gabriel asked, blinking up at the much taller woman through his lashes.

She paused, and then nodded. "Yes. Of course."

"With a half loop top stitching on the hem?" he gushed.

This time she seemed more prepared. "Absolutely. It's one of a kind."

Gabriel kept up the act for another moment, letting her think she'd got away with it, staring rapturously at the dress - and then his expression changed, his eyes darkened, and he shoved the dress back at her. "It's impossible to use a half-loop top-stitching on low-viscosity rayon. It would snag the fabric. And you didn't just get it in. I saw it in the June Vogue a year ago. I know that because I look like a guy you probably don't want to see me in your store or wearing your dresses, but I know what I'm talking about. So next time, maybe think twice before being so prejudiced."

Gabriel grabbed Jo and Jess' hands, and flounced out of the store.

\--

Gabriel fluffed up his hair one final time and picked up the ring box from his dresser. He opened it, checking that the two matching rings were still inside - golden bands inlaid with alternating diamonds and black sapphires, with one larger diamond in the center. Secretly, when Gabriel was younger, he'd always pictured himself with something a little... softer, he supposed, paler colors. Black seemed a little too dark when this was supposed to be a happy occasion. But he'd had Kali in mind when he chose the rings, and her liking it was the most important thing to him, so he'd make himself be happy with it. And he did love the way that big central diamond sparkled under the fairy lights around his mirror.

He snapped the box shut and tucked it into his purse, looping the chain over his shoulder so he had both hands free. Taking a few deep breaths and steadying himself so that he wouldn't topple over in his six inch heels, he stepped out of the room and began a slow descent down the stairs, the air conditioning blowing just the right way to fan the skirt of his bright pink dress out behind him.

It was just as he'd always imagined it. Every member of his sorority was standing in the hallway, gazing up at him, waiting, focusing on nothing but what was about to happen. And there, right at the bottom of the stairs, was Kali, her hair pulled back into a sleek updo, wearing a tight black pantsuit with a white blouse and red lipstick, and what almost looked like a smile on her face. Almost.

Gabriel's heart caught in his chest, and he couldn't help from grinning at her, his smile feeling like it was threatening to break his face. This was happening, this was really, really happening. 

He reached the bottom of the stairs and Kali cupped his face in her hands - in these heels, he was tall enough to kiss her without her having to bend down. She brushed her lips against his, and Gabriel had to fight every instinct he had to not kiss her harder and deeper right there, to show her just how much he loved her. But there would be plenty of time for that later. For now he had to maintain his composure, to focus on displaying the perfect image.

Her eyes twinkled when she pulled away, a rare treat. "Gabriel. You look so beautiful." The compliment was even rarer.

"So do you," he replied, leaning forward a little. She was magnetic, and he didn't ever want to move away. And he would never, ever have to. In a few short hours, Kali would be the future Mrs Gabriel Novak, and Gabriel would have everything he'd ever wanted in his life.

Kali took his arm and led him towards the door of the house, and Gabriel turned one final time and waved to his girls, trying to stop himself from bouncing as he saw thirty necks crane to watch the two of them leave. If he felt like this now, then how the hell was he supposed to survive his own wedding?

His wedding...

He let himself daydream on the car ride to the restaurant, picturing himself walking down the aisle. Every time he imagined it it was a little different - first it was a floaty chiffon dress that draped over him and cascaded in layers to the floor as he strolled barefoot along a beach. Then, it was a traditional taffeta dress that puffed out around him with skirts upon skirts that took up the entire room, adorned with all kind of bows and rhinestones, in an old fashioned church. And then it was a sleek, modern, elegant silk dress, with a little bit of sparkly beading on the bodice to catch the light, one that made him look like he had curves, that finished in a short train behind him as he walked in heels through an upscale hotel.

He couldn't even begin to decide which one he liked best, but he had plenty of time. He was just losing himself in deciding exactly what kind of flowers he wanted his flower crown made out of, when Kali pulled up outside the restaurant and parked the car.

The server already knew who she was, because of course he did. In fact, Gabriel wouldn't have been surprised if he knew exactly what was going to happen tonight - Kali  _ had _ to know, and she probably would have mentioned it when they made the reservations. Gabriel was almost surprised when he didn't see a huge bottle of champagne already on ice waiting for them - but maybe Kali was going to pretend to be surprised. There were lots of possibilities here, Gabriel reminded himself, trying his best not to shake as he sat down in his chair, taking in his surroundings.

The lighting was perfect. The setting was perfect. All he had to do, now, was to wait for the right moment.

They ordered drinks - a bottle of red wine, Kali's favorite. She looked impressed with his selection, too, which made Gabriel beam with pride. She sniffed and tasted it and nodded her approval, and the waiter poured each of them a glass and then left, promising to be back with their appetizers before long.

Gabriel knew there was absolutely no way he'd be able to eat anything before he asked the question, not even the Caesar salad he'd ordered himself to start with. (If he had a salad now, then hopefully Kali wouldn't raise too many eyebrows when he ordered dessert. And dessert was the best thing in the entire world. It had been hard to stop his mouth from watering when he'd read that salted caramel cheesecake description on the menu.) So as soon as he'd clinked his glass against Kali's with a "To us," and taken a small sip, he shifted in his chair and leaned forward, taking her hand in his.

"So, I kind of wanted the two of us to talk tonight... about our future," he mumbled, his voice cracking a couple of times. Shit. That had been pretty much the least smooth thing ever. Why was he like this?

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yes, I have been thinking the same thing."

"Good. So we're both fully amenable to that discussion," he smiled, getting a little of his usual sparkle back. They were on the same page, she was going to say yes, this was going to be fine...

"Being with you has been all kinds of fun, Gabriel," she began, with only a hint of sarcasm.

Wait a moment. Wasn't this his part? Had she planned to propose to  _ him _ as well? He frowned. He wasn't exactly opposed to that, but he didn't want to have written his whole speech for nothing. Maybe he'd still get a chance to slip it in later.

"When I go to Stanford, to law school, things are going to be completely different. I need to be serious. My family expects a lot from me, and more to the point, I expect a lot from me. For example, I plan on running for office someday."

"I fully support that, you know that," Gabriel nodded. He loved that she was going to be so successful. He'd get to go to all kinds of important functions, wear sparkly dresses, meet famous people, network, show her off, have the time of his life. He couldn't imagine anything better.

"Absolutely. But the thing is, if I'm going to be a senator by the time I'm thirty, I'm going to need to stop playing around."

"I completely agree," Gabriel nodded, smiling, because she didn't have to know that he'd thought he was going to be the one to do this. Really, it did make so much more sense for it to be her. She'd always taken the lead in their relationship, after all. And so long as the two of them ended up in the same place - at the end of the aisle - then what did it matter how they got there?

"That's why I think it's time for us, Gabriel, angel-" and she never used that nickname when they were in public, when there was any chance of anyone overhearing them, and that's how he knew she was serious about this-

"I do!" Gabriel burst out.

"I think we should break up."

Gabriel blinked. He was wearing too much mascara, and his eyelashes stuck together, and when he finally managed to open his eyes there were lights dancing in front of them, giving him a headache, making it so that he could barely see. Nothing around him felt quite real, the noise of the rest of the restaurant had all blurred into one, strange rushing sound, and the only thing he could hear was Kali's voice, distantly saying, "I've been thinking about it, and I think it's the right thing to do."

"You're breaking up with me?" Gabriel heard himself ask, in a tiny voice, as though it were somebody else.

He dug the ring box out of his pocket, his fingers clumsy, his hand trembling as he dropped it on the table. Kali opened it, and her expression didn't change as she inspected the two rings.

"I thought we were going to-" Gabriel gestured wordlessly at them.

She turned pitying eyes on him. "Gabriel. I'm going to be a senator. The whole country is going to be judging my choice of partner. I need to marry someone who's a little more on my level."

Gabriel's lower lip trembled, and tears threatened at the corners of his eyes. "So when you said that you'd always love me, you were just dicking around?"

Kali's lips tightened. She could see the signs, Gabriel knew, and she'd always hated it when he cried.

"I do love you," she replied, her lips curling around the words, like she didn't want to say them. "I just can't  _ marry _ you. I'm under a huge amount of pressure to live up to what my family expects of me, and you're not... the kind of person they would approve of."

Gabriel's eyes widened, and he sucked in a few deep gulps of air before managing to squeak out, "You don't think your family's going to like me? Everyone likes me!"

Gabriel knew that wasn't entirely true, but he pushed the intrusive thoughts  to the back of his mind, refusing to let himself think about the shop assistant that afternoon, or the frat guys who yelled at him on the streets as he walked to class, or the older professors who tried to find excuses to knock his grades down. They didn't matter, he reminded himself.

At least, they hadn't mattered to him so long as Kali had liked him.

"At law school, people are different," Kali sighed, condescending, as though she couldn't even be bothered to explain further.

"So because I'm not from some old family that helped to found Stanford or something, suddenly I'm white trash?" Gabriel tried to scowl, but it turned into more of a pout. "I grew up in Bel Air! Across the street from Richard Speight, Jr! Most people would think that's way cooler!"

Kali stood up, brushing off her hands. "I told you. I need someone serious."

She strode away, and Gabriel cried after her, "But I'm seriously in love with you!"

Kali paused for a moment, and she almost looked back, but then she didn't. She kept walking, beckoning him to follow her with one finger.

Gabriel cast his eyes longingly towards the dessert menu one final time. He could so easily be defiant and stay. He had his dad's credit card, he could order everything on the menu and eat all of it and love it and it would be the best thing in the world and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him.

He was going to do it. He  _ was _ .

Kali sighed, magically reappearing back at the table. Now that she was standing, she was taller than him once again, and Gabriel felt even smaller than usual. "Come on, Gabe. I'll give you a ride home."

Gabriel shook his head. "Nope. I'm staying right here. Fight me. Put your fucking fists up, Kali."

Kali sighed even louder, tapping a foot on the ground. "And, what? You're going to walk all the way back to campus in those things? I don't want you calling me because you've tripped on the side of the road and twisted your ankle. Especially since you'd be more concerned about the shoe than your foot."

Gabriel glanced down at the beautiful silver stilettos, horrified at the mental image of them getting dirty. "These are real silk..."

Kali just raised an eyebrow at him.

Gabriel stood up, hanging his head, and followed her out to the car.

\--

Gabriel had always loved candy, but it wasn't often that he actually let himself indulge that. Especially after he'd joined Delta Nu, he'd always been kind of self conscious about the way his stomach pudged out in his formal dresses, and so he'd tried to cut down on the chocolate pudding and the giant marshmallows and the epic amounts of Twizzlers he'd once consumed. Now, though, he was trying his best to make up for three years of not eating much candy all at once. He learned that you could actually order candy from Amazon to be sent right to your home, and once that had arrived, it was pretty much over for him. 

He closed the door and locked it so that nobody could disturb him, turned the TV up to full volume and put on every cliche romance movie he could find on Netflix. When the couples split up he sympathized, and when they inevitably got back together because their lives were Hollywood perfection he threw things at the television and yelled that they were making stupid decisions and that it'd never last.

But of course for them, it did. They got to have their dumbass happy endings and watch the screen fade to black, safe in their little bubble of perfectly scripted romance forever and ever. And for a while, Gabriel had been stupid enough to think that he was gonna have that too. But he wasn't exactly the traditional kind of romance movie hero, and he'd been stupid to think that he ever could be. He was a boy in a sorority who wore dresses and didn't know about much besides fashion and it was a wonder he'd managed to stop himself from becoming a complete social outcast, let alone actually get someone like Kali to fall for him.

He supposed he should just be happy with everything he'd managed to have, since it was already so much more than he'd ever expectedd. to have. 

He'd peaked already, and now he was just going to be shut in his bedroom for the rest of the year, and that was okay.

There was a loud knock on the door, loud enough to interrupt whatever pink-cheeked blonde girl was currently fluttering her eyelashes on Gabriel's screen. He groaned and covered his face with a heart shaped pillow.

The knock came again. "Gabriel, I know you're in there, open the damn door!" yelled Meg.

"You can't hide away in there forever," Jo chimed in.

"I'll hide in here forever if I damn well want to!" Gabriel screamed back, his voice cracking, his throat feeling like it was pretty much coated with sugar. He took another sip of his milkshake. 

"I'll break down this door, don't think I won't! I took martial arts!" Jess shouted, and Gabriel was definitely getting a headache by this point. More than anything, he just wanted them all to shut up, so he groaned, forced himself out of bed and shuffled over to the door in his pale pink silk pajamas, unlocking it and pulling it open.

He didn't need to see their expressions of horror to know he looked like absolute shit.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to lecture me. Aren't I allowed a bit of time to wallow in my breakup?"

Jo bit her lip, concerned, risking getting her pink lipstick on her teeth in her concern for him. "Well, yes, of course. But it's been almost two weeks. Usual grieving period is - what? Three days?"

The other girls nodded in agreement.

"So, what?" Gabriel bit out, not caring if he sounded like a bitch. "You're here to tell me I'm getting over my breakup wrong? Last I checked, I was the president here?"

Jess sat down next to him on the bed, running a hand carefully through his hair, trying to work out some of the tangles. "Sweetheart, no. We're just worried about you. You know what always makes you feel better?"

Gabriel offered up a small smile. "New York Fashion Week?"

"A manicure," Meg explained.

"Oh. Right."

The three girls stared at him for a moment, still cuddled up in ten blankets in different shades of pink, not moving. Then, Meg impatiently gestured towards the door. "Well, come on then!"

Jo took his hand and helped him to his feet, and Gabriel glanced down at his pink nightie-clad figure. "Looking like this?"

"Maybe you should at least put some shoes on first."

Half an hour later, the four of them were waiting on soft couches with magazines spread open on their laps, surrounded by potted plants and gentle music, sunlight streaming in through the windows, guests of honor in their favorite nail salon, waiting for their names to be called.

"I cannot believe this," Jess rolled her eyes, pointing to a picture in People magazine. "I'm all for people dressing however makes them happy, but seriously, that's just bad etiquette. That level of nudity on the red carpet could actually make people uncomfortable, and it's supposed to be a place where everyone can enjoy themselves, right?"

Jo glanced over at the picture. "I see your point, but you can't even see any nipple there. I think that rule only applies if the nipple's out."

"Gabriel? What do you think?" Jess passed over the magazine.

Gabriel glanced down at the picture, and then down at himself. "Think I'm not really in a position to comment on what anyone else is wearing."

Meg laughed, but then added, "Shit, if you're not even going to give an opinion on a dress, things must be bad."

And Gabriel didn't want to worry his friends, so he said, "I mean, I probably wouldn't wear it. But then it wouldn't suit my figure, and I personally don't like wearing silver anyway, so that doesn't say m-- what the  _ fuck _ ?!"

Gabriel glanced over to the page opposite the red carpet dress, listing recent celebrity engagements. It was usually one of his very favorite sections, since celebrity weddings were one of the most exciting things in Gabriel's world, and he had to pass judgement on the new couples and figure out which weddings he was going to have to find more information on.

But today, he wasn't thinking about that. Today, he was far too distracted by one particular announcement.

_ Castiel Collins has recently announced his engagement to Miss Kali Tempest, and People is the first to get the inside scoop! The pair, both of whom come from prominent East Coast families, have been friends since childhood and plan to marry in the summer two years from now on the Collins family estate, once they are both settled in at Stanford Law School, which both have been admitted to early decision. _

Attached was a small, but clearly recognizable picture of the happy couple. It wasn't like hers was a common name, but the picture was final proof that it was indeed his Kali, her arm wrapped smugly around a man with dark hair and bright blue eyes who, in Gabriel's humble opinion, looked like a fucking nerd.

Her hand perched on his shoulder, and even with the grainy quality of the photo, it was easy to see a huge, bright diamond ring.

That should have been Gabriel's ring she was wearing. Should have been Gabriel who she was wrapped possessively around as they announced their engagement in a national magazine. They'd only broken up a few weeks ago... there was no possible way this hadn't already been going on when she'd decided to end things with him.

"Are you okay?" Jess asked, cutting into his bubble. Gabriel wasn't surprised. He'd been frozen still for a solid minute now, blocking out all noise, and his face had gone white and cold. He couldn't even feel, let alone begin to work through this news. He shoved the magazine in her face, jabbed at the article in question, jumped to his feet and ran out of the salon as fast as he could, ignoring the prospect of the deep blue nail polish with gold tips that he'd been planning to get from his favorite nail artist. He couldn't deal with that. Not now.

He raced back to the sorority house as fast as he could and flung himself down face first on his bed, grabbing one of his favorite stuffed animals and burying his face in the pink platypus' soft fur. Two weeks. Two weeks, and she'd already wound up engaged to somebody else. Someone who was clearly good enough for her in ways that he wasn't.

Gabriel wanted so badly to be good enough. He wanted to be the kind of guy that Kali could look at with pride, not with pity. Who she'd be happy to be seen with in front of her family, rather than just having a bit of fun with while she was in college.

How could Gabriel make sure he was that kind of person? Was there anything he could do?

For a while he came up blank. There was no way anyone would catch him putting on a dark suit and an oversized tan coat to look like the guy in the picture. That just wasn't him, not in the slightest, and he wasn't going to change himself  _ that _ much.

But then, Gabriel replayed some of his earlier words to himself in his head.

_ So long as the two of them ended up in the same place - at the end of the aisle - then what did it matter how they got there? _

The same place...

He knew exactly where Kali was going to be for the next three years. The article had confirmed it. Yes, this Castiel would be there too, but that was a minor hiccup. There was no way that a boring asshole like Castiel could ever compare to someone like Gabriel. If Kali was with both of them, in a place where she'd be forced to see Gabriel as someone to take seriously, then there was no possible way she could choose Castiel over Gabriel.

Perhaps it was time for him to start taking his own advice. He couldn't give up on Kali. Not yet. He still had plenty of time to get her back, and finally seeing that ring on his finger would be more than worth the effort.

 


	2. Going Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gabriel is a strong independent blonde who don't need no kali

"Gabriel, why did you run off? Is everything okay?"

"Girls, I'm going to Stanford Law School."

Jess, Jo and Meg were back from the salon, all with freshly manicured fingers that they were wafting in their air and showing off for each other. Gabriel bit down on his lip and stuffed his bitten nails in the pockets of his nightie, suddenly jealous and wishing he had at least stayed to get his nails done before running off and having his existential crisis.

"You're... what?" Meg blinked. "Gabriel, are you sick? Do we need to call a doctor?"

Gabriel spun his laptop around to show all of them. His Amazon cart was filled to the brim with binders, LSAT study guides, past papers, fancy fountain pens, books written about famous trials, and even a pair of reading glasses. "I'm not sick! I've got a plan. It said in that article that Castiel’s going to be at Stanford Law School with Kali, right? So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go there too, and then I’ll get her back and she and I will be the most important and most famous power couple there. Two top California lawyers go toe to toe in a trial, one on the prosecution, one on the defense, yet at the end of the day they go home to their shared mansion in Beverly Hills, all thoughts of the trial forgotten as they enjoy married life..."

Jo snorted. "No way. You're out of your mind. I know you wanna get Kali back, but there has to be an easier way. Can't you just, like, name an island after her and take her there or something?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and pointed at her. "Interesting. Keeping that in mind for engagement present ideas. But that's not gonna be enough. Cause she and I would have fun on the island but it doesn't make me serious, not like this Castiel douchebag is serious. I have to be serious. I have to be a lawyer."

The three of them turned to look at each other.

"You're gonna miss out on so many parties if you have to study law," Jess pointed out with a sigh. "Are you sure it's worth it? Are you sure it's what you really want? I'm pretty sure if I'd asked you yesterday you'd have said you didn't care about the law so long as nobody outlawed floral print sundresses."

"While that is true," Gabriel allowed, "what I really want is Kali. More than anything in the world. Even more than floral print sundresses. And if this is the only way to get her, then this is what I’m gonna do.”

\--

Gabriel paid extra for next day shipping on all his law school preparation materials, and while he waited for them all to arrive, he made an appointment with his careers counselor, who he’d never actually spoken to in his three plus years at college.

"Ms Harvelle?" he asked in a small voice as he knocked on her door.

"Come in, Gabriel," she replied, far louder and more forcefully.

Gabriel took a few tentative steps inside that had more to do with his nerves and less to do with the new pair of lace up wedge heels that he'd just bought the other day, and then perched in the chair opposite her desk.

"What can I do for you? Are you here to talk about your plans after college?"

Gabriel offered a tiny nod.

"I wasn't expecting to see you. Usually the people who come to talk to me at this time of year are the ones considering graduate school, and I didn't see you as a student who would be interested in that."

Gabriel frowned, getting on the defensive. "Look, not to be rude or anything, ma'am, but I have a four point oh GPA, and you're just jumping to conclusions if you think I'm not gonna do anything with my life once I'm done with school." Never mind that he'd had absolutely no plans for his future beyond marrying rich until just yesterday.

Ms Harvelle smiled. "Good. I was hoping that would get you to actually say something rather than sitting there like a limp lettuce."

Gabriel scowled at her, wrinkling his nose. "So now you've played mind games with me, are you gonna help me get into Stanford Law School?"

"Stanford Law?" Ms Harvelle's smile faltered, and she looked Gabriel up and down. "I don't doubt that you could very easily get a place in some kind of graduate school for fashion, but Stanford Law is one of the top law schools in the country. Very few students get in, even the ones who've been preparing for it all their lives."

"I thought your job was to support me?" Gabriel folded his arms and sulked.

"My job's to support you, but it's also to be realistic. You haven't even taken any of the classes that are recommended for pre-law students, and while they're not required, they certainly help give a leg up in the application process... If you're really serious about law school, perhaps we could look into some places that aren't quite so prestigious."

Gabriel frowned to himself. The point wasn't to become a lawyer, the point was to get Kali back, and if he went to some shitty law school in the Midwest then that had barely more chance of happening than it did if he stuck around here. Plus, he'd be miserable without a decent mall. 

"What if I say no?"

"You mean you're really not going to accept anything less than Stanford?"

Gabriel cocked an eyebrow at her, offering up a glossy smile. "I thought this school wanted its students to believe in themselves? To, what is it, reach for the stars, see what they can achieve if they put themselves out there? I'm not going to settle for anything less than the best, Ms Harvelle."

Ms Harvelle glanced around the office as though she was checking to see if there was anyone else there, and then leaned in close. "Gabriel, I hate that I have to say this to you, I really do. But lawyers aren't exactly known for being the most progressive people... if you do want to go into law, especially at a place like Stanford, there are going to be a lot of prejudices."

Gabriel swallowed and nodded quickly. That was what he was terrified of. He reminded himself yet again that once he got Kali back he could use her name and her connections to make sure nobody would ever be able to discriminate against him. 

"You think I'm not used to getting that every day of my life?"

"In that case..." Ms Harvelle shrugged, shaking her head in resignation. "In that case you're going to need to study, hard. You'll need at least a 170 on the LSATs, an exceptionally strong application essay, a good reference, plenty of extracurriculars that you demonstrate are relevant to law. Are you sure you're up to the challenge?"

Gabriel smirked. "I think I’ve pretty much already been accepted."

\--

Gabriel talked a big game, but most of his confidence was faked. It was just like the fact that he was really, really good at putting on false eyelashes, but his actual eyelashes were disappointingly short and pale, and could never actually compare. But he needed to pretend like he was certain he'd get in, because that was the only way he actually would. If he told everyone he knew he had no chance, his resolve would slip. He'd stop studying on Saturday nights and instead go back to his usual life of dressing up in a brand new and going out with friends, knowing that there would be no social repercussions. 

As it was, telling everyone he knew he'd get in... he knew that their reactions if he ended up failing would be more than he could deal with.

So he worked. Gabriel Novak worked harder than he ever had in his life. That Saturday night, he went to a party at one of the nearby frat houses, and curled up at the kitchen table with a practice LSAT test. He'd taken a few already, but his scores were firmly and depressingly stuck in the 140s, nowhere near good enough for Stanford. He wore his comfiest sweatpants and a pink hoodie with sequinned angel wings on the back, while everyone around him was in their party best, talking, laughing, drinking and blaring music. Halfway through the night, a group of guys decided to set up a game of beer pong around Gabriel.

"Hey, man, you wanna play?" Benny asked, tapping Gabriel on the shoulder and offering him a ping pong ball.

Gabriel shook his head. "Not tonight, Ben. Gotta study. Just got a 151 on this test, gonna go over the questions that I missed."

Gabriel pulled a textbook that was seemingly bigger than him out of nowhere, and plonked it on the table. 

Benny let out a low whistle. "Damn, you gotta learn all of that?"

"Yep. Got until January. You think I can do it?"

"I think I got mad respect for you even trying, kid."

Benny turned away, and every so often the ping pong ball bounced off Gabriel's textbook and across the table into one of the cups. Watching the path of the ball was soothing, and Gabriel got into a rhythm of studying to the point that he almost forgot he was at a party. Slowly, everybody around him started to fall asleep where they were, or escape the room to go home, and yet Gabriel sat in the kitchen of the frat house, reading over his notes, studying as hard as he could until the sun rose the following morning.

\--

Gabriel was so caught up in a rush of LSAT preparation and admissions essays and trying to find professors to give him glowing references, on top of his usual duties as president of his sorority, that some days he barely had a chance to remember why he was doing this. Some days he didn't think about Kali at all. Other days, he'd be looking through his phone and he'd stumble across a picture of the two of them together, and then she would be all he could think about.

For a moment, he'd want to burst into tears and curl up under his blankets, but he wouldn't let himself. His resolve would strengthen, and he'd jump on the treadmill - still working off that candy binge - and put in his headphones, where he'd recorded himself spouting law facts to play back as he worked out or slept.

Going to visit his family for the Christmas break didn't even feel like a holiday - he was still working just as hard as he'd ever been, setting up camp in the dining room pretty much as soon as he'd arrived back there.

"What are you doing?" Jimmy Novak leaned against the doorway, his arms folded, watching Gabriel bent over his books. "Didn't your finals just end?"

Gabriel nodded, not looking up at his father. "Yep. I'm working on my application essay for law school."

"Law school? I can’t have heard that right."

"Yep! You did. I'm going to Stanford."

Jimmy sighed, pulling out the chair from opposite Gabriel and sitting down. "Listen, son, I know you get these crazy ideas in your head sometimes and they seem like a good idea at the time, but you know this'll pass. It's like when you were ten and you said you wanted to be an astronaut because you thought the space helmets looked cool, but then you realized you'd have to wear the same outfit for months and months and you changed your mind? This isn't going to last, and you shouldn't waste your time on something like writing an essay when you could be out having fun with your friends and planning our New Years’ party."

Gabriel looked up from his notes and scowled. "Yeah, and now I'm twenty-two, isn't it about time you started taking my decisions seriously?"

"Seriously?" Jimmy sighed. "Gabriel, we both know you're not a serious person, you never have been. Being a lawyer... that's for other people, boring people. People like you should be out there, having fun. Not stuck inside doing work all the time."

Gabriel felt the lump start to swell in his throat, the same way it did every time someone told him he was going to fuck this up, that he shouldn't be doing it. He knew if he opened his mouth right now, his words would come out all croaky and he'd find it difficult not to cry. He quickly tried to swallow and get himself under control. It wouldn't exactly help his case if he burst into tears right here.

But while he was trying to figure out how exactly to make his case, he realized something.

"You're right. I shouldn't be stuck inside doing work. I  _ should _ be having fun. Thanks, Dad!"

He jumped up from the table, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing a number he knew by heart. "Jess! Jess, listen to me, I need your help. You gotta come over, as soon as possible."

"Gabriel, I'm baking Christmas cookies, can't it wait?" Jess asked from the other end of the line. "I thought you were working on your essay today?"

"I was. I am. That's what I need your help with!"

"I'm not an essay person, I'm a photography major..."

"Exactly! I don't want to write a dumb essay either. I need you to make a video of me. Cause that's the only way I can show Stanford what makes me stand out. I need to show them that I'm gonna bring something new to their school, that I'm a serious person but that I'm also gonna make things fun, add some life into their dumb school that's been around for like a billion years. You see what I mean?"

There was a silence from the other end of the phone while Jess tried to catch up with Gabriel's million mile an hour rant. But finally she said, "Half an hour til the cookies are done. Then I'll be there. You start figuring out your script, okay?"

"You're the best!" Gabriel blew a kiss down the line, and then hung up.

\--

The night before Gabriel was set to take the LSAT, he scored a 172 on his practice test. That was two points about his 170 goal, so now he just needed to replicate that on the actual day, and he'd be alright. He knew that after all the practice he’d done he should be confident, and he'd planned enough time that he'd be able to get his eight hours of beauty sleep cuddled up with Loki, but somehow he couldn't manage to doze off. He'd pretty much never had any problems sleeping in his life before - sleeping was his favorite thing, second only to glitter blush, and not being able to sleep was a foreign feeling. The harder he tried, the worse things got, and in the end he switched on his bedside light and pulled out his textbook, deciding to read over a few crucial sections again before morning.

He ended up passing out around an hour or so later, and woke up to the sun shining through his window, his face stuck to his textbook. When he peeled it away and glanced in the mirror, his cheek was bright red. He checked his phone - he'd overslept by more than an hour, and if he wanted to be at the exam on time, he had to leave in fifteen minutes.

Panicking, he leapt out of bed, his sheets flying everywhere, Loki barking and running around the room in circles as fast as he could. It was time for a speed beauty regime. 

Gabriel threw on the outfit he'd picked out for the occasion - the first suit he'd ever owned in his life, though a special one. The black pants were skinny and clinging to his ass and thighs, paired with his favorite shiny high heeled boots, his blouse a sheer pale pink and his jacket taken in at the waist to give him a good figure. He was working as fast as he could to get his makeup done on time, hiding the redness and the dark circles around his eyes, and the adrenaline that came with the sudden start was better than any triple espresso as he raced through the sorority house on his way to the exam, his friends calling out good luck wishes as he went.

The exam itself wasn't even the hardest part. Gabriel had spent so much of the last few months preparing for it non stop and taking every practice paper he could find that he was confident on most of the answers, even though he’d received a few odd looks when he'd walked in. 

No, the hardest part was the waiting. Once everything was ready, his application was submitted, the test was taken, and there was nothing Gabriel could do to change anything... after that, he didn't entirely know what to do with himself.

"Come on, Gabriel, there's a party tonight!" Meg enthused as they walked back from History of Polka Dots. "You gotta go, it's not gonna be the same without you."

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, of course I'll go, where is it? I might need some help carrying my textbook if it's far."

Meg frowned. "Gabe, you don't need your textbook, the exam's over."

"Oh. Right." Gabriel couldn't quite remember what he used to do at parties before he started doing all this work. He was going to need Meg to help him figure that out. "Yeah, of course I'll go."

And then there were the days when he was just doing something normal, like sitting on the couch with Jo watching Taylor Swift's new music video on repeat and analyzing every moment of her spectacular performance, when he was struck with the sudden fear that he wasn't going to get in, that he'd wake up some morning soon to a rejection letter. It was an odd feeling. Usually Gabriel's dad was always on hand to make sure he didn't get rejected from anything, but Jimmy was refusing to have anything to do with Stanford.

Gabriel wrapped his arms tight around himself, and even though he was in a room full of people, he felt oddly alone for the first time in his life.

\--

And finally, the letter came.

It felt like it took years and years, and that was just between picking up the letter off the doormat and carrying it through to where everyone in the house was gathered, staring at him. Gabriel glanced around the crowd, his golden eyes wide and fearful. If this went badly, he was going to be a joke, his friends were going to be laughing at him behind his back until he graduated...

"Well, come on, open it!" Jo encouraged.

Gabriel screwed his eyes shut and ripped into the letter, smoothing out the paper. He opened one eye just the tiniest crack and scanned his eyes down the page, looking for his LSAT score, vaguely wondering if there was a sudden trapdoor below him that he could open magically and disappear through if he failed, but then...

He raised his arms in the air in triumph, bouncing on his feet as he yelled, "One seventy-nine!"

\--

"Loki! C'mon, boy, get in the car!"

Gabriel only had one passenger joining him for his cross-California road trip, and that was Loki. His friends had offered to come with him and help him move in, but Gabriel hadn't wanted any of them to, for reasons he couldn't even explain to himself. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was about to see Kali for the first time in almost a year. He needed some time to figure out how he felt about that - he'd spent the last year of his life planning everything to perfection so that he could prove he was the perfect guy for her, and finally, tomorrow, everything was going to come together.

This was the last day before he could put his life back on the track it should have been on all through senior year of college. His last day of doing things on his own.

He raced up the highway in his tiny pink Beetle, chasing cars twice as big as him, overtaking trucks as palm trees became a distant memory, the temperature outside dropped slightly, beaches turned into rolling green hills, and San Francisco approached in the distance.

He'd made it. Somehow, despite everyone telling him there was no way he could manage it, he'd made it. He'd done the hard part, and now he was here, at Stanford Law School.

Gabriel hopped out of the car, spritzing an extra spray of perfume over himself, tired from the long drive but ready to put on his bright, cheerful face in front of the people he was going to be spending the next three years with. He scampered away, following the signs directing the Class of 2017 to their new homes. The sun was out, but the heat wasn't as harsh as it was at home, and Gabriel had even more energy than he usually did, feeling light on his feet as he approached the orientation table.

"Hi!" he grinned, bouncing on his heels as he strolled up to the guy sitting behind the orientation table. "I'm Gabriel Novak, here to register?"

He pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head, sweeping his hair back and letting Loki down onto the ground to dart around his heels, leaving his hands free to take all his important papers.

"Alright," said the guy, who looked vaguely bored and was wearing a plain white polo shirt. "Here's your orientation timetable, and here's a map of campus. You'll be living in that building over there." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Have a good day."

Gabriel frowned, reaching out and taking the offered papers, but didn't move.

"Something else you needed?" the guy asked.

"Uh, yeah. What about the calendar for social events? Like, there must be some parties, some mixers, some charity clothing drives, dinners, barbecues, funfairs-"

"Alright, alright, I get the picture, I've been to a social event before."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, somehow doubting that.

"But this is law school. We don't do stuff like that here. We don't exactly have the time. Because, you know, homework?"

"Homework?" Gabriel blinked. No, that wasn't how it worked. He was supposed to have done the hard part by now, he was supposed to be able to relax now that he was here and he was safe.

"Yeah. That stuff professors assign for you to do outside of class."

"Oh. Okay."

Gabriel turned away from the table, hugging the two measly pieces of paper to his desk, and began unloading boxes and bags from his car to take over to his new building, feeling even lonelier than before, the idea that he'd made a terrible mistake coming here sprouting seeds in his mind.

He would see Kali tomorrow, that was what he had to focus on. As soon as he talked to Kali again, everything would be so much better.

\--

Gabriel's new rplace was nothing like his room in his sorority house. The bedroom was smaller, and Gabriel had to pile all his bags on top of one another to get them to fit. The kitchen and bathroom were filled with old, rusted plumbing and spots of damp, and the living room felt empty and lonely given that Gabriel would be living there alone. The whole place was also so much plainer - there were no decorations on the walls, the paint was a hospital shade of bright white all over, and when he looked out of the window, the campus was quieter than he was used to, everyone walking past in silence rather than laughing and joking to create the kind of atmosphere Gabriel was used to. His bed was smaller, a double rather than a king, barely big enough for him and Loki - and Gabriel was pretty small. Worst of all, the building was silent. There was no buzz of chatter through the walls, the familiar voices of his friends drifting towards him at all hours of the day.

Gabriel unzipped the suitcase full of blankets that he'd brought, piling them all onto the bed. It was still early, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything except flop down underneath the huge pile and sleep.

He woke up in the middle of the night, cold and shivering. All the blankets that he'd surrounded himself with weren’t helping to keep him warm, so he pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Jess.

**Gabriel** [02:44] hey, you still up?

**Jess** [02:46] Yeah! You at some awesome orientation party?

Gabriel sighed, sinking down further into his pillows. He didn't want to disappoint her by telling her the truth, not when she had all these expectations of what his life was going to be like now that he was away at school.

**Gabriel** [02:49] yeah, just got in haha. left the heating off like an idiot - idk how to work the heater here, so i'm cold and wanted a distraction. got any gossip from back home?

**Jess** [02:51] Gabe, you've been gone a day, I know a lot happens but it doesn't happen THAT fast.

**Gabriel** [02:54] yeah i guess not. youll keep me updated right??

**Jess** [02:56] Of course. Any gossip, you'll be the first to know, same as always.

**Gabriel** [02:57] alright, thanks, love u

**Jess** [02:59] Love you too gorgeous. I'm going to get some sleep now, you should probably do the same.

**Gabriel** [03:00] yeah ill try my best, first class starts in 6 hours

**Jess** [03:02] Then you need your beauty sleep. Got an outfit picked out?

**Gabriel** [03:03] who do you take me for?? ive had an outfit picked out since may

**Jess** [03:05] You'll look perfect and you'll kill it in class. Good luck! (kiss)

**Gabriel** [03:06] thanks bae. goodnight xoxo

Gabriel checked that his alarms were set and then dropped his phone on his bedside table, turning over and burying his face in his pillows. No matter how soft and fluffy they were, he couldn't make them feel like home. He wanted to be back in the Delta Nu house so badly it hurt, or anywhere where he knew he had friends around him. But he was here, and he was alone.

 


	3. Dumb Blondes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically just the most iconic line in the whole movie is here

Gabriel must have fallen asleep at some point, or at least drifted in and out, because the alarm ringing a few hours later startled him. Hoku’s 'Perfect Day' was far too cheerful for how he was feeling right now. But he climbed out of bed and hopped in the shower, counting out the exact number of seconds to leave his conditioner in for (he wanted maximum shine, minimum grease) and treating his face to his special occasion moisturizer (with flecks of glitter in it) before pulling on his dedicated first day of class outfit. He'd bought a snakeskin effect blazer with a golden feather trim, worn over a black leather skirt and fishnet stockings. He pulled his long hair up into a ponytail and accessorized with a pair of thick rimmed glasses. It wasn't like he needed glasses, but they did make him look more intelligent.

By the time he'd finished getting ready, he was actually feeling a lot more positive about the day ahead. He blew himself a glossy kiss in the mirror as he threw his satchel over his shoulder and sauntered out the door. He could run into Kali any second - and for the first time in a long time, he actually felt ready.

In the end, it happened far sooner than Gabriel had expected. He hadn't even shown up for his first class yet when he saw Kali strolling down the corridor behind him, with the kind of effortless grace on her high heels that Gabriel had practiced for years to achieve. He took a deep breath, gave himself another spritz of Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift, and then tiptoed down the corridor after her.

He tapped her on the shoulder. "Kali? Oh my God, I totally forgot you go here!"

He giggled and flipped his hair the same way he'd done when he'd been trying to convince her to go out with him in the first place, acting like the idiot he knew she thought he was.

It was all worth it to see the look on her face. That night he'd spent barely sleeping, shivering in his blanket pile, every day he’d spent studying instead of enjoying himself, the way he’d felt when she’d first broken up with him - he'd happily repeat it all so that he could enjoy her horrified look at being confronted by him, here at Stanford.

"Gabriel? What are you doing here?" she scowled. Gabriel glanced down to see her ring, glinting in the light. He wanted to rip it off her finger and remind her that he was the one who should have put that there.

He didn't. He only let his smile waver for a split second before his eyes flicked back to her face. "Oh, I go here now," he said, casually.

" _ You _ got into Stanford Law?" 

Gabriel smirked.

"What, like it's hard?"

And with that, he got to appreciate her look of horror all over again.

It took everything in him not to beg Kali to take him back right then and there, but no. He was playing a long game here, and he'd worked too hard to give up now. It wouldn't be much longer and she'd be his again.

He spun around on his heels, heading towards the classroom door. "Gotta go! Class starts in five minutes! Wouldn't want to be late on the first day, now, would we? But I'll see you around! Love ya!"

Gabriel breezed into the classroom, feeling like he could do anything in the world. Of course this had been the right decision. Why had he even doubted that for a second? First and foremost, he was an actor. In high school, he'd played Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, in college, Glinda in Wicked, and now, he was here, living out the best performance of his life - a law student.

And the after show party? Well, that would be his wedding.

He slid into a seat in the front row, pulling out his laptop, decorated with its pink sparkly stickers. Never mind that everyone around him had plain silver Macbooks, without a sticker in sight. He loaded up a fresh google document for all the notes he was going to take, adding the header

_ Civil Procedures _

_ Professor Alastair _

_ Gabriel Novak _

_ Lecture 1 _

_ Monday, September 12 _

He stretched, waiting for Professor Alastair to walk in, giving himself time to relax.

A few moments later, somebody dropped into the seat next to him - Gabriel's first opportunity at making a new friend. She pulled out a textbook that looked like it weighed about a thousand pounds, and opened it up, bending down to stare at it.

Well, that wouldn't do. There was no point studying when classes hadn't even started yet.

Gabriel tapped her on the shoulder. "Hi! I'm Gabriel. I came here from the University of Los Angeles. Fashion major! Where are you from?"

The girl turned her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm looking over the reading, and you should be too. I hear Professor Alastair always gives tests on the first day of class. Difficult ones."

"Oh, I haven't bought the textbook," Gabriel waved a hand. "Didn't have time, I was busy packing, and I don't think it would have fit in my car anyway. He'll understand, right? Syllabus week and all?"

The girl openly snorted. "Law school doesn't have syllabus week. We had chapters one to three of the book assigned for today. Didn't you read the emails your professors sent?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I glanced at them, but I figured they'd tell me everything I needed to know in class. I had lots to do before I left!"

"Well, you're gonna have even more to do now so that you can catch up," the girl said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously. If I'd known they were letting just anyone into Stanford now, I'd have gone somewhere else..."

Gabriel opened his mouth in horror. "I'm not-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the door banged open and a tall, skinny man with pale features strode into the room,  throwing his briefcase down on the desk. "Good morning, class, welcome to Civil Procedures."

There was silence from around him.

"Good. Good start. Now that introductions are over, let's jump straight into it. You. You there in the front row."

He pointed directly at Gabriel.

"Hi, I'm Gabriel Novak," Gabriel grinned, lighting up. He loved going first for icebreakers. "I came here from the Univ-"

"I said introductions were over, boy- wait, are you a boy or a girl?"

"Oh, I'm neither," Gabriel grinned, used to the questions by this point. "I'm nonbinary, it means that-"

"I didn't ask for an essay about your personal life, kid! Alright, you've done the reading, so. What can you tell me about Gordon V Steele?"

Gabriel stared, still a few minutes behind on the conversation. "Um, what?"

"What can you tell me about Gordon V Steele?" Professor Alastair repeated, sounding even angrier this time, if that was even possible.

Gabriel didn't know the answer. This hadn't been covered on the LSAT, or in any of his classes in college. And he knew how many millions of cases there had been in the history of law, so it wasn't like he had any kind of chance of bullshitting his way through this.

He fluttered his eyelashes at the professor. "I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't realize there was an assignment..."

To Gabriel's surprise, Alastair nodded, turning his attention to somebody else. "You there, blue tie. Do you think it's acceptable that Novak here didn't come to class prepared?"

"No, sir," came a deep, gravelly voice from behind Gabriel. He didn't turn to look. "If we all had to do the work, clearly they should have done too. Having other things to do is no excuse - they must not be as dedicated as the other members of the class."

"Very good," Professor Alastair nodded. "Clearly somebody here is on the same page as me. I take it this means you'll be able to tell me about the case?"

Gabriel pulled a face, repeating Alastair's words to himself under his breath in a mocking tone as the kid with the (actually very attractive) deep voice went into details of some case Gabriel had never heard of in his life.

He had to get out of here. He was way out of his depth. He had to speed up the plan and get Kali back as quickly as he could.

\--

Gabriel made sure that he was the first one out of the door once his class had been dismissed, bolting for the nearest quiet area. That had honestly been the most terrifying experience of his life. Professor Alastair had called on him, randomly, to answer questions twice more during their class period, and Gabriel hadn't known the answers those times, either. Whatever happened to asking a question and then waiting to see who raised their hands? Didn't professors here know that sometimes people had parties to go to and friends to see and just couldn't quite manage to do the reading before class started?

And yet, everyone else had seemed to know the answers to Alastair's questions. It had just been Gabriel who'd made himself look like an idiot. He was sure that everyone in his class hated him, and that wasn't a feeling he was used to. He hadn't been universally hated since high school, he thought he'd escaped those days of crying in the bathroom between class periods, he didn't want to be back here, he couldn't...

Gabriel flopped down on a stone bench in front of a fountain and buried his head in his hands. He kept his hands away from his eyes, blinking fast, terrified to cry and risk his fake eyelashes falling off, but it was impossible to stop himself. He shuddered, letting dry sobs course through his body as he struggled to breathe. He didn't care who saw him. It wasn't like people's opinions of him here could get much worse.

Gabriel was almost calm enough that he was able to peek through his fingers and see if anyone was watching him or if he was still alone, when he felt a large, soothing hand gently rubbing his back.

"Hey. Hey, it's okay, it's gonna be okay. First day?"

Gabriel nodded, still hiding his face. The voice was warm and comforting, like drinking a pumpkin spice latte while curled up in bed watching America's Next Top Model the night before Christmas.

"Yeah, I've been there. Don't worry, I was just as much of a mess as you on my first day. Maybe I was a little better at hiding it, but that's all. You want to tell me what happened?"

Gabriel shook his head no. He didn't want to talk, he just wanted this mysterious boy to hold him and tell him over and over again that everything was going to be okay.

"Alright. You want me to go away?"

Gabriel shook his head again, and in response, he got a soft, rich chuckle.

"So you just want me to stay here with my hand on your back, is that right?"

This time, Gabriel nodded.

He got another chuckle in response. "I hate to stereotype, but sometimes I think my brother's right, all girls really are the same. My ex-girlfriend was just like you. Sarah. She never wanted to talk about anything, just wanted me to cuddle her until she felt better. Guessing that's you, too?"

Gabriel was vaguely aware that a question had been asked, but he didn't register what it was. He'd frozen up the moment the kid referred to him as a girl, no longer crying.

"You alright?" the boy asked, concerned. "Shit, I'm sorry, that probably sounded really offensive, I never should have said... wow, I'm off to a really bad start here. It's just that I think you're pretty, even though I can't actually see your face, and I've always been one of those guys who kind of forgets how to speak around pretty girls and I end up saying stupid things... I'm really sorry, okay?"

Gabriel sat up, slowly removing his hands from his face. 

The boy gasped. "Shit, man, I'm so sorry, I-"

"No!" Gabriel cut him off, shaking his head quickly. "No, it's fine, I swear, I... that was kind of cool, actually."

The boy frowned, but shrugged, holding out his hand. "So, that was an interesting way to get introduced. I'm Sam Winchester."

"Gabriel Novak," Gabriel replied. Instead of taking the hand and shaking it, he bent down to give it a quick kiss.

"Well, Gabriel Novak, this is my third year here, and I've known you for about five minutes, and you're already the most interesting person I've ever met at Stanford. So congratulations. And, uh, I like that eyeshadow color. It looks good on you."

Gabriel blushed. "Um, thankyou."

He had the exact opposite problem that Sam did, apparently. When he was confronted with somebody pretty, he didn't start babbling a million miles a minute, he just completely froze up and didn't say anything at all.

"Any time. So, you want to tell me while you're out here crying in the middle of your first day?"

This time, Gabriel nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I, uh, I just got out of my first class, with Professor Alastair..."

Sam pulled a face, sucking air through his teeth. "Shit. No wonder you're crying."

"He's bad? It's not just me, he really is bad?" Gabriel asked, a spark of hope in his eyes.

Sam chuckled. "I don't know about bad, but he's certainly strict. Expects a lot from his students and doesn't hesitate to dock points off your grade if you don't meet those expectations. Do the reading for his class. Do it twice. He cares far more about class participation than he does about the exams, so if you speak up a lot in class, you can afford to chill out a bit when it comes to the midterm."

"Really?" Gabriel asked. He knew this guy could easily be messing with him, and he had absolutely no reason to trust his opinion, but somehow, he wanted to believe him.

"Yeah, really. Come on, show me your schedule. Let's see who else you've got."

Gabriel pulled his schedule out of his satchel. He'd already colored in his class periods with a different colored sparkly gel pen for each different class.

Sam blinked at it. "Oh my God, it's blinding, it's like looking into the sun."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It's just a bit of glitter. Hey, it's scented too, you should smell it!"

Sam closed his eyes and inhaled, pressing his nose into the paper. "Wow, you're right, that actually does smell pretty good," he said, shaking his head, a little bemused.

"See, I told you. Anyway, the others I've got are Professor Michael, Professor Lucifer and Professor Raphael."

Sam stroked an imaginary beard, considering Gabriel and nodding. "Okay. Michael's about a billion years old, I’m pretty sure he’s been a lawyer since George Washington was in office. So you're not going to want to say anything controversial in his class. He doesn't like opinions. Stick to the facts, and if you can bring up some older cases that don't usually get discussed anymore, you'll be in his good books for life. Now, Raphael seems nice, but don't be fooled. You forget an assignment or get a question wrong, she'll act like she's fine with it, but in fact, she'll never forget it. That said, she always takes essay questions from the second last paragraph of every chapter, so if you do need a boost in her class, be sure to study those parts extra hard. Got it?"

Gabriel nodded, wishing he had a notepad to take down all this new, vital information. Who knew that third years could be the source of so much knowledge? "And Lucifer?"

Sam shook his head, very seriously. "Been trying to figure that guy out for years, and I got nothing. Seriously, though. Everyone's in the same boat. Nobody has any clue how his mind works, so just... try your best, and good luck."

Gabriel giggled weakly. "You say that like I'm going into some battle against a supervillain in a movie."

"Maybe you are," Sam teased, trying to look serious, but failing and bursting out into a smile.

He still had his arm around Gabriel's shoulders, and Gabriel suddenly became aware of that warm pressure holding him steady. It was nice. He cuddled with his friends all the time, but this was different somehow...

"Gabriel!" a familiar voice called. Kali was striding across the grass towards him, holding out a finger, beckoning him over to her.

"You need to go?" Sam asked, sounding disappointed. Gabriel tried not to read too much into that.

"Uh, yeah, can't keep Kali waiting." He pasted on a fake smile and stood up. "It was really nice to meet you, Sam."

"You too, gorgeous," Sam said with a wink, and Gabriel blushed all over again. He tried to reply, but all that came out of his mouth was a small, broken sound, so instead of talking he just turned around and walked towards Kali.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked, without any preamble.

"Just some third year," Gabriel shrugged. "He was giving me advice on my classes cause he's had a lot of my professors before. What about you, how did your first class go?"

Kali smiled - or as close to a smile as she ever got. "Amazing. It feels so good to finally be around people who actually work hard and care about their futures, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Gabriel nodded. This was his moment. He couldn't let thinking about Sam distract him any further. He needed to get Kali back, right here and right now. He had to ask her out, or something, give the two of them an excuse to spend some time alone together, where he could really impress her with everything he'd learned and make her see that he was a serious person.

"So, uh, what are you doing tonight?"

"Kali!"

A boy dressed in a suit and a trench coat appeared next to Kali, slipping a possessive arm around her waist and leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Sorry I'm late, love, I stayed behind to talk to my professor after class. I'm already looking into getting internships for next summer, I needed to know if he had any contacts."

Gabriel recognized that voice. That was the same boy in his class who'd chewed him out for not doing the reading. What a fucking goody two shoes. Gabriel hated him already.

"Don't worry about it, Castiel, obviously your career is more important than I am," Kali replied, in a faux-sweet voice - and the pieces clicked.

Castiel. That was Castiel. The very same Castiel Collins who Kali was engaged to.

"Gabriel, I'd like you to meet Castiel, my fiance. Castiel, I'd introduce you, but of course I've already told you plenty about little Gabriel here, haven't I..."

Castiel smiled. It didn't meet his eyes. "Of course. You're quite the talk of my family's estate, Gabriel, we've heard plenty of stories."

Usually Gabriel liked being talked about, but the way Castiel was saying it made him uneasy. He tried to ignore it, but the knowledge settled heavily in his mind, making him feel sick to his stomach.

"So, Gabriel, you were saying something? Before Castiel got here?" Kali prompted.

Gabriel tried to remember, and realized he'd been on the point of asking Kali out on a date. Which, thinking about it now, was ridiculous. There was no way she was going to say yes in front of her fiance. Her fiance who talked and laughed about Gabriel behind his back, making fun of him, constantly proving that he was better than Gabriel, that he was above him...

"No, it was nothing. Don't worry about it," Gabriel mumbled, and then immediately turned, running in the opposite direction.

There was only one thing that would make him feel better right now, and that was getting his nails done with his friends at his favorite nail salon. Unfortunately, that salon was a thousand miles away, and Gabriel had another class this afternoon which he couldn't afford to miss. He knew he should have spent the time in between looking for the textbook and trying to get through at least some of the reading, ready to be quizzed again, but there was no way he could concentrate on work right now.

He climbed into his car and searched for nail salons near him - there was one just a ten minute drive away. Gabriel was sure it would be nothing in comparison to what he was used to, but maybe it would be good enough to take his mind off Kali and Castiel for a while.

\--

The bell chimed as Gabriel walked into the salon, quieter and less brightly lit than what he was used to. He glanced around, waiting for someone to yell at him and tell him that he didn't belong here, that the barber's shop was next door.

Nobody did.

A plump woman with blonde curly hair half-pinned up with a pencil and half-falling in a mess round her face approached Gabriel, smiling wider than he himself could remember smiling since the pre-Kali days. "Hi, sweetheart! Can I help you with anything today?"

Gabriel nodded. glancing down at her nails, which were long and a beautiful shade of purple, decorated with a swirly design. He felt better. If she'd done those herself, then she clearly knew what she was doing. "Uh, yeah, that would be great. Can you do gel nails?"

The woman nodded. "Absolutely! Come over here and I'll show you all the colors we have available. Now, with your complexion I'm thinking a warm color, something fairly bright but not neon, possibly a yellow or a soft green shade, or even..."

"Pink?"

The woman's face lit up. "You read my mind."

Gabriel beamed.

"I'm Donna, by the way. I'm the head nail technician here. It's very nice to meet you. I haven't seen you around here before, is this your first time?"

"Here, yeah," Gabriel nodded, "but I had a nail place I went to all the time back home. I just moved here from LA."

Donna raised an eyebrow. "Ooh! From LA? Watch out, we've got a celebrity here!"

"'M not a celebrity," Gabriel shook his head, though he was smiling a little bit at the thought. "Not everyone from LA's a celebrity, 'm just a regular person who likes having nice nails."

"Well, who doesn't like having nice nails?" Donna laughed. "Alright, I'm a big fan of this shade, this rosy pink, that would look beautiful with your skin tone. Or if you wanted to contrast with the gold, you could go for this one, which has just a touch of purple. This brighter one would be more of a statement, if you wanted your nails to be the focal point of your appearance... it all depends on what you're looking for."

Gabriel selected the rosy pink, and Donna sat him down at her workstation, the sun streaming in through the windows and warming Gabriel's face.

"Now, down to business. You looked like you'd been crying when you got here. You want to tell me what's wrong, sweetie?"

Gabriel sighed. Apparently nail artists doubling as therapists wasn't exclusive to LA. "Yeah, alright. I was dating this girl. Thought she was the love of my life. We were gonna be together forever. But she broke up with me and now she's engaged to somebody else and I came all the way here where it's cold and windy so that I could get her back, but now I don't know how I'm gonna do that. I can't leave here until I've won her over. Everyone back home will laugh at me and say I've failed."

Donna sighed, clicking her teeth together. "Alright, first things first, it's not cold and windy here. You want cold and windy, you should try Seattle. All you need is a shopping trip. Get yourself some jackets and coats, cute ones you can layer, ones with flowers on the sleeves and lace trims, they seem like your style. Then you'll be just as warm as ever. Got it?"

Gabriel nodded, watching her work on his nails. That actually did sound really cute, now that he thought about it.

"Second of all. This girl, if she dumped you and got engaged to someone else? Doesn't know what she's doing with her life. Clearly she has no taste and doesn't realize that the most amazing person in the world is right in front of her. And you deserve someone who can look at you and see the most amazing person in the world. Understand?"

Gabriel sighed. "Easy for you to say, but  _ nobody _ thinks I'm the most amazing person in the world!"

"Then you just have to wait for somebody who does. And they will. Who knows, they could be right here in San Francisco. They could be the reason that you came all this way to- oh!"

Donna stopped what she was doing, her brush stilling as she prepared Gabriel's nails with a base coat, her eyes fixed on the door and her cheeks pink.

Gabriel turned. A woman in a UPS uniform stood in the doorway, carrying a huge, heavy cardboard box like it was the easiest thing in the world. "Package for Donna Hanscum!" she called out.

Donna completely changed her demeanor, raising a shaky hand and squeaking, "That's me!"

The woman strode over and set the box down on the ground, shaking her head at all the nail supplies and bright splodges of old polish littering the table. "Sign here, please," she recited, holding out a pad of paper and a pen to Donna.

Donna took it and just about managed to scrawl her name, her hand still shaking. She tried to smile as she did so, but it came out looking more like a grimace.

"Thanks very much, have a great day," the woman said as she headed back out the door empty handed.

Gabriel bounced in his seat, his own problems forgotten. "So, is that the person  _ you _ want to think you're the most amazing person in the world?"

Donna hid her face, staring intently back down at Gabriel's nails. "She's never going to notice me."

"Come on. Of course she's going to notice you, you're gorgeous. You just need to show yourself off a little bit more. And, you know, maybe say more words. Talk to her like you talk to me. Words are good. Girls like people who can say words."

Donna shook her head. "I can't. Ever since my ex husband, I can't make myself talk to anyone I like. Guess I'm just going to be painting nails and spending time with my cats until I grow old, huh?"

She didn't sound as upset about that prospect as Gabriel expected her to be, managing to keep an optimistic smile. It made Gabriel smile too as he watched her work on his nails. 

"We're a pair, aren't we? Not sure whose love life is more fucked up right now."

"If I wasn't on the clock right now, I'd drink to that."


	4. Blonde Jokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> world's cutest playboy bunny gabriel novak

Day two at Stanford Law School dawned much the same way as day one - with far too little sleep and a lingering sense of dread in Gabriel's mind telling him that there was absolutely no way he could get through this. 

The one difference was that today, he at least had pretty nails. So day two definitely had to be an improvement, didn't it?

His morning class was with Professor Lucifer, and having learned his lesson from the previous day, Gabriel took a seat in the middle of the room where he was less likely to be spotted. Of course, it was just his luck that both Kali and Castiel were in this class, so he had to deal with them sitting a few rows in front of him, trading endearments while waiting for class to begin.

Professor Lucifer walked into the class wearing a suit that was too tight and didn't flatter his figure, and perched on top of the desk, swinging his legs, looking like he was trying to be friends with the class rather than instruct them. Gabriel rolled his eyes. He'd dealt with plenty of these types of professors before now.

"Welcome new first year students, and second year students who failed my class last year! Good to have you, or in a couple of cases, good to have you back."

There were mild titters from around the room.

"Now, I like to begin class by talking about next summer. I know, I know, you all are still trying to find your way around all these old buildings... but it's never too early to start thinking about your future, and it gives you something to work for if you've got a goal in mind right from the start. Every summer, I offer internships at my criminal law firm in the city. I only give them to a handful of the best and the brightest first year students in my class. Students who are interested should submit their resumes and cover letters to me at any point this term, and those, combined with your performance and participation in this class, will help me decide who should get these spots. But be warned - my criteria are strict. Two years ago, I didn't offer anyone the position, because I didn't think any of my students were up to the task..."

He let that ominous thought float in the air as he turned and started writing something on the blackboard. Immediately the room was filled with whispers - Castiel and Kali bent close and put their heads together, clearly already strategizing and figuring out exactly how they were going to get those internships.

Gabriel knew he didn't stand a chance. As of right now, he seemed likely to fail out of school by midterms, so there wasn't much point in him even putting in any kind of application.

\--

After his classes for that day, Gabriel gathered up his stuff and pored over his campus map, looking for the library. He felt just as drained as he had the previous day, but he already had a test scheduled for Friday, as well as more reading due tomorrow, as well as catching up on the reading he'd missed, as well as an analysis of a famous case due Thursday. And this was only the first week! Were people here really expected to keep up with this kind of workload for an entire semester?

Still, Gabriel had to at least try. Only thing worse than spending all his waking hours studying would be getting kicked out of school and having to walk home with no career and no girlfriend, looking like the absolute loser that he always had been.

Gabriel reached the library and started looking for his textbook for Alastair's class, deciding it was best to start there. He definitely didn't want a repeat of Monday. But of course, as luck would have it, when he finally found the book, it turned out to be on the highest shelf in the library. And Gabriel was, for lack of a better word, short.

He jumped up and down a couple of times, but he knew right away that it was no use. Even if he could reach high enough to touch the book, it was jammed in there with a hundred others, and there was no way he'd be able to pull it down.

"Need a hand there?"

Gabriel turned and saw Sam strolling down the aisle, carrying a stack of books of his own.

Gabriel blushed and nodded. "Please. It's the red one right there. I'm sorry, I know I should have bought my own by now, I ordered it off Amazon but even with Prime it's not coming until tomorrow, and I have to read it for the class..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, it's not a problem," Sam grinned. "These shelves really are a bitch, though. I'm not surprised you can't reach, even I have to use a stool to get things off the very top shelf. There should be one around here somewhere."

Sam and Gabriel looked up and down the aisle, but there was no stool in sight. "I guess somebody moved it?" Gabriel suggested.

"Guess they must have," Sam nodded, pulling a face. "Hmm. Alright then. Give me those."

It took Gabriel a moment to realize that Sam was gesturing to his high heels. 

"What? You want to wear these? Look, they'd look cute on you and all, but I don't think they'd fit-"

"It's just for a moment. And I promise you I'll be careful with them. Come on."

Gabriel frowned, but slipped off the shoes and handed them to Sam. Sam carefully balanced himself in the shoes, wobbling a little, gripping one of the closest library shelves with one hand and Gabriel's shoulder with the other for support. Then, ever so slowly, he reached up and took hold of the book Gabriel had requested, tugging it off the shelf and handing it to Gabriel in triumph.

Gabriel laughed in disbelief and took the book, hugging it to his chest. "I can't believe you just did that."

Sam stepped out of the shoes with a grimace. "Oh my God, neither can I. Seriously. How do you do that? Walk around on those all day? I can barely manage a few seconds."

"It's practice, my man. Practice and caring far more about how you look than how you feel," Gabriel half joked, grinning. "But anyway, it's not like you really need them. You're, like, a thousand feet tall."

"Yes, that is what my doctor told me at my last check-up."

"Really? I bet he had to get a special height measuring stick, just for you."

"Yeah, yeah, that's why it's so imprecise. It was hard for him to see the markings, so I don't know if it's a thousand feet and two inches, maybe three inches..."

"Maybe you're giving yourself too much credit. Maybe you’re only, like, nine hundred and ninety-nine feet and eleven inches."

Sam gasped and put a hand to his chest. "How dare you. Insulting my height like that. I'm wounded."

The two of them burst out laughing, and then fell silent, Gabriel looking up through his lashes at Sam. He wanted more than anything to ask him to find a table together and study, but at the same time, Gabriel knew that Sam probably had way better things to do than study with a dumb first year like him. He didn't want to bring Sam's status down. Gabriel would just have to find other study partners.

"So, you probably have lots of work to get done..." Gabriel whispered after a pause.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, uh, you're right. Sorry. You too. I don't want to distract you with my massive height. I'd never forgive myself if you failed Alastair's class because of me."

"In that case I'll just have to not fail. Cause, you know, I wouldn't want to make you feel bad." Gabriel said in a small voice, biting his lip and widening his eyes.

Sam ruffled Gabriel's hair. "Good a motivation as any. I'll see you around, kid."

Gabriel leaned against the bookshelves, smiling, his head a little bit dizzy. Probably those strange library fumes, some kind of dust that had been disrupted when Sam had pulled the book down. 

He got back on his heels and walked unsteadily in the opposite direction to Sam, looking for some empty table where he could sit and study.

Unfortunately, it seemed like all the tables had filled up while Gabriel had been socializing. Story of his life, really. He rolled his eyes, but then caught sight of a table of people studying from the same textbook as him - and, even better, there was an empty chair.

Gabriel pasted a smile on his face, walked over, and sat down like they'd been saving it for him all along. "Hey, guys. Studying for Alastair's?"

A few people looked up from their books, staring at him, unsmiling. One kid said in a nervous voice, "Uh, you might not want to sit there."

Gabriel frowned and dug into his bag, pulling out a Tupperware container with a pink lid and setting it on the table. "Here! These might help. Homemade truffles. I make them when I have some free time, but I'm really trying to lose weight to fit into this dress I bought a few weeks back, so I shouldn't eat them. You all should try them, though. Just a tiny bit of whiskey in them."

Nobody reached for the container, or even acknowledged that he'd spoken. There was a long silence, and then Gabriel felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry. Starbucks had a line. Here, I have energy bars and coffee for everyone. That should be enough to get us through the last two chapters before midnight, if we work hard and focus."

It was Castiel. Of course it was Castiel. That was just Gabriel's luck.

"Gabriel? I believe you're sitting in my seat."

Gabriel wanted to stand his ground, but he knew nobody else would take his side, so he stood up. "Are you, uh, are you sure there's not room for one more?" he tried, with his last dregs of optimism.

Castiel shook his head. "Sorry. I hear they really don't like us moving chairs around in the library. Blocks the aisles."

"Okay. Hey, have the truffles anyway! You all deserve a treat for studying so hard."

Gabriel hoisted his satchel back over his shoulder and picked up the textbook, groaning under its weight. He really needed to start going to the gym and lifting some weights.

"Besides," Castiel added, "you don't really seem like the studying type. From what Kali says, you're more into parties, isn’t that right?"

Gabriel frowned, wondering where he was going with this. "Uh, yeah. I mean, I can study too. Just look at this huge textbook. But I love parties."

"Great! Because there's one happening on Friday night. And it's mostly third years, but Kali got invited because her mom is part of the alumni network and she knows some people, and she's allowed to bring a couple of guests. Are you interested?"

Gabriel knew there was a catch here, but right now, he couldn't quite figure out what it was. And if there really was a party, then that might be a great excuse to spend some time with Kali, after the both of them had had a few drinks and had loosened up a little bit... and maybe if they could find a quiet room, or even a corner, where Castiel wasn't in the way...

"Yeah! That sounds brilliant. How about I give you my number and you text me the details, alright?"

Castiel pulled out his phone and let Gabriel punch in his number. "Alright, I'll text you. See you in class, Gabriel."

"Dammit, how am I meant to study now, I have an outfit to plan," Gabriel said to himself as he turned away.

He hadn't been expecting anyone to hear, but Castiel called after him. "Oh, yeah, it's a costume party. So keep that in mind when you're planning. After you've done your studying, of course."

A costume party. Gabriel would have to do a little bit of digging to make sure Castiel hadn't completely made this party up and was planning to send Gabriel knocking on some strange old lady's door in the middle of the night on Friday, but if Castiel was telling the truth, then this could be a great night. Perhaps law students did know how to have fun, after all. And if nothing else, it would be something to talk about when he called his friends from home.

Gabriel carried his textbook all the way back to his dorm and laid down on the bed, covering himself in blankets. His eyes started to droop. After two nights of barely any sleep, he hadn't realized quite how tired he was until just now. But he forced himself to open the textbook to the chapter he was supposed to be reading, and, digging his freshly painted nails into his palms so that he could concentrate better, he began to read.

He made it through maybe three pages, taking in less than half of the words, before he slumped forwards onto his book and passed out.

He was woken about an hour later by his phone ringing, just inches from his ear. Gabriel jumped and grabbed the offending item, groaning and squinting against the bright overhead light as he picked up. "'Lo?"

"Gabriel?" Jo squeaked from the other end of the line. "Guess what?"

Gabriel wasn't awake enough to guess what right now. "What?"

There was muffled squealing coming from Jo’s end. Clearly she wasn't alone in her excitement. "Ash proposed!"

"What?" Gabriel fought through the bleariness, blinking and sitting up on his pillows. "Not ‘business up front and party in the back’ Ash?"

He could almost hear the eyeroll from the other end of the phone. "I know you don't approve of his hair choices, but he's a really great guy. Smart, too. He got into Caltech Engineering."

"Note the 'got into', not 'graduated from'," Gabriel chuckled, but then realized that with the way law school was going, he wasn't exactly one to talk. "Seriously, though, I'm really happy for you. If you like him, that's all that matters."

"Yeah, I do," Jo said, earnestly. "I really, really do. And I wanted you to be one of the first people to know. And I don't suppose... is there any way you could make it home for our engagement party? It's this Saturday."

Gabriel thought about it for a moment. He didn't have classes at the weekend. He didn't have any friends here, so it wasn't like he had social plans either. All he had was the party on Friday night. Of course, he was hoping something would happen with Kali, but assuming it didn't, there was nothing to stop him from driving back down to LA on Saturday morning and staying the night with Jo. Maybe an evening with his old friends was exactly what he needed after a long, hard week of law school.

"Yeah, you know what? I think I can figure that out. I'll let you know if anything changes, but you guys will probably see me there."

"Really?" Jo squeaked in excitement. "You don't have any cool law school parties with your smart new law school friends?"

Gabriel refrained from mentioning that he didn't have any new law school friends, smart or otherwise. Instead he said, "I've got one on Friday night, actually. It's a costume party."

"Costume party? You know what you're wearing yet?"

"No, but I got a couple days to figure it out. Don't worry about me."

There was muffled conversation from the other end of the phone, and then Jo was back. "Meg has ideas! Come on, we'll help you. You're gonna look perfect. Even better than normal. After all, I'm guessing Kali's going to be there..." she teased.

Gabriel cast a long look towards his neglected textbook. He knew he should refuse and get back to studying, but chances were, he was just going to fall asleep again... 

Gabriel sighed, berating himself internally for his lack of willpower. "Yeah, alright. Get your asses on video call, let's figure this out."

\--

Gabriel would never quite know how he managed to survive the rest of his first week. Maybe people were just taking pity on him now that they saw how fucking useless he was or something, but it seemed like the professors called on him less, and the small amounts of reading he managed to get done were just about enough to bullshit his way through the occasional question. Maybe low expectations were the way to go. Start off badly, and then nobody would ever expect him to come to anything.

But he did survive, and in no time at all, Gabriel was pulling on his white stockings and adjusting the pale pink fluffy tail on his leotard. He yawned into the mirror, smudging his lipstick. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like going to a party, completely exhausted after the week he'd had.

But it wasn't like he was going to get Kali back by getting into his pajamas and watching reruns of New Girl in bed. No, he was going to get Kali back by walking into that party and being the best dressed person in the entire fucking room.

Gabriel walked across campus in his strappy sandals, timing things perfectly so that he was a little late, but not too late. Just the right amount of late that he'd make an entrance, but people would still be sober enough to remember said entrance the next day. He'd got this down to a science - if there was one thing Gabriel could count on himself to do, it was walk into a party at the perfect moment.

He rang the doorbell, bouncing on his feet like the bunny he was dressed as, adjusting his ears in the reflection of the window so that one of them bent over at a casual angle.

A guy in a plaid shirt and jeans holding a bottle of cheap beer opened the door. He stared at Gabriel, frowned, blinked, and turned to yell over his shoulder. "Hey, guys, I don't know who here ordered the stripper, but you're not funny!"

"Oh, I'm not a stripper," Gabriel giggled, standing his ground. "I look great, after all, why would I ever want to take this off?"

The guy snorted. "Whatever."

"What are you dressed as, anyway? Aging dad watching television on his day off?"

"What do you mean, dressed as? These are my clothes."

Gabriel glanced around at the people milling in the entryway. It was true, everyone there was dressed similar - not even in party clothes, just in T-shirts and jeans, almost like this was a  _ casual _ event. Gabriel couldn't remember the last time he'd even been to one of those.

"Who invited you, anyway? I don't recognize you. And I think I'd remember you."

At that moment, Kali breezed down the stairs, wearing a tight red silk top over black jeans. "Don't worry about it, Daniel, I said he could come. Poor kid doesn't have any friends here - I mean, are you really surprised? Thought it would be nice to show a little charity, don't you?

Daniel stepped aside, letting Gabriel through the door. "If you say so. I'm gonna go play beer pong. You have a good night."

Gabriel wasn't entirely sure about that, especially not when he saw Castiel appear right next to Kali - apparently they were joined at the hip now - and smirk at Gabriel. "You look... nice."

"I know," Gabriel replied, folding his arms over his chest.

"You-"

"He was being sarcastic," Kali cut in. "Castiel, could you go get us some more drinks, please? Just you and me, that is."

Castiel nodded and disappeared through the crowd, and Kali turned to Gabriel.

"You're an embarrassment, you know that? You think you can show up at Stanford Law and then at a party I'm going to, and that everything will be the same as it was in college, don't you? But that's not going to happen, Gabriel. Because you fit in there, with your sororities and your craft drives and your casino nights and therapy dog events and whatever else it was you did there when you should have been working. But you don't fit in here. You can't cut it in law school and you know it, so you might as well walk out back to your silly little life living off your dad's money and drinking margaritas in the pool all day, because that's all you're good for.”

“And this?" Kali gestured to Gabriel's outfit. "This is never going to work if you  _ actually _ want to make it as a lawyer, which I doubt. Because dressing like you do might be cute and quirky at CULA where everyone's a little bit weird. But in the real world, lawyers are professional. They wear  _ suits _ . And the men wear  _ pants _ . And if you don't, then even less people are going to take you seriously than who already do. Understand?"

Gabriel gritted his teeth, trying to maintain eye contact, despite every impulse in his brain screaming at him to turn away and hide his face and stare at the floor. He couldn't believe she'd just said all that. Hadn't getting into law school proved anything to her? Why could she still not see that if he could do that, he had to be capable of doing well, that there had to be something vaguely worthwhile about him?

He took a few deep breaths, focusing on something that calmed him down - a memory, him and Loki playing in an empty field one summer when Loki was just a tiny puppy, Gabriel listening to music and sunbathing, the world peaceful. Everything had been so much easier then. He'd give anything to be back there, worrying about nothing but making sure Loki didn't leave his sight.

But he wasn't back there. He was here, at a party, wearing a stupid Playboy Bunny outfit, talking to his ex girlfriend who didn't think he was worth anything more than last season's dress on the clearance sale rack, in a strange city he didn't know at a school he was way out of his depth in. And he'd never felt worse.

Which meant there was only one way to go from here.

"You know what? I feel sorry for you. You're too busy worrying about what everyone around you thinks of you that you don't ever stop to think about how to make  _ yourself _ happy. So you can keep your black pantsuits and you can keep your three generations of Stanford Law family and you can keep your parent approved fiance. Because I look hot as hell tonight. And I'm going to dance. With somebody who isn't you."

Gabriel flipped his hair over his shoulder and turned and made his way into the middle of the dancefloor. He didn't care that he was still completely sober, he threw himself into the music with just as much enthusiasm as the rest of the half drunk people around him, twirling and grinding and headbanging and having the time of his life, taking an offered jello shot, striking a pose whenever anyone's eyes fixed on him for too long, losing track of time as his ears slipped to one side and his forehead got sweaty. He felt free. Kali didn't care about him, so he had no reason to care about her.

At some point - he wasn't sure how long it had been - he felt a hand on his arm, and someone tugging him back through the crowd and off to the side where it was quieter. "Hey there. You've been dancing for a while, you look like you could use some water. Drink this whole bottle, then I'll let you get back out there, alright?"

Sam pressed an ice cold bottle of water into Gabriel's hand. Gabriel opened it and took a swig, closing his eyes and sighing in relief at how good it felt. He hadn't even realized how tired and thirsty he was. 

"Thanks. Needed that."

"Any time," Sam grinned. "Been looking for an excuse to come and talk to you all night, after all."

Gabriel blushed, not expecting that. "Really?"

"Of course. I said you were the most interesting person I'd ever met at Stanford, and I meant it."

Gabriel shook his head, but smiled. "Hey, do you want to go sit down somewhere? I'm actually kind of tired."

Sam nodded, and he led Gabriel outside. In the garden behind the house there were a few benches, and Sam and Gabriel sat down on one of them, tucked out of the way behind some bushes. Noticing Gabriel shivering in the chilly night time air, Sam slipped off his jacket and wrapped it around Gabriel's shoulders. 

Gabriel couldn't hide the silly grin that was on his face - the jacket may not have matched his outfit in the slightest, but he loved wearing it all the same.

"So, uh, I don't know if this is an okay thing for me to talk about, but I realized I never asked," Sam began nervously. "What are your pronouns? Cause I don't want to fuck this up."

Gabriel glanced up in surprise. "You know you're the first person to actually ask that since I got here?"

"Doesn't entirely surprise me. I mean, I wish it did, but, law school, not known as the most progressive place."

Gabriel nodded, leaning against Sam's shoulder, suddenly wanting to be close to him. "I know. Just. Thanks. Anyway, I'm fine with any pronouns. But people tend to use he/him automatically, because, genitals and irrelevant shit like that, so sometimes it's kind of cool when people think to use different ones, you know what I'm saying?"

"Not from personal experience, but I can imagine. I'll see what I can do," Sam smiled, leaning back against Gabriel.

Gabriel dropped his head onto Sam's shoulder. "No pressure. Like I say. I'm comfortable with anything."

"You know you're really kind of inspirational, right?" Sam mumbled into Gabriel's hair, which, once again, seemed like it was completely off topic.

Gabriel frowned. "I think you've got the wrong person there."

"No, I'm serious. You and, and the way you dress, and don't take any shit from anyone, and are so completely yourself even when everyone around you is telling you to be somebody else. And how smart you are, and how hard you must have worked to get here, and, just... everything about you, Gabriel. Maybe it's the alcohol talking, but sometimes I wish I could be more like you. Not that I want to dress up like a Playboy Bunny, but just that... I'd like to care less about other people's opinions. And not be scared to be me."

Gabriel smiled and shook his head. Whatever he'd done to give Sam that kind of high opinion of him was definitely not going to last, not if all his other experiences since getting to law school were anything to go by. 

"Yeah, well, for what it's worth, I think you'd look hot as a Playboy Bunny. And the person you already are seems pretty damn great."

"You think I'd look hot as a Playboy Bunny? That the alcohol talking for you too?"

"I've only had one shot."

Sam thought on that for a while, running his fingers ever so gently through the soft waves of Gabriel's golden hair, smiling to himself. 

Gabriel thought he could fall asleep like this, resting on Sam's shoulder, all snug and warm in his jacket. But he knew that probably wasn't the best idea.

"You're warm," he whispered instead.

"Comes with being a thousand feet tall," Sam whispered back.

 


	5. Blondes Do It Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gabriel is fabulous. what else is new??

Gabriel didn't completely remember how he'd got home that night, though he had vague recollections of Sam half-carrying him back to his apartment in the middle of the night and making sure he got through the door safe before leaving. Either way, Gabriel woke to his alarm feeling more refreshed than he had all week, having had what felt like an actual decent night's sleep. At first, he wasn't entirely sure why he'd set his alarm for so early on a Saturday morning, but then he remembered.

Of course. Jo's engagement party.

He was about to grab his pre-packed travel suitcase (it was always good to have one in his closet, for emergencies, because you never knew when you were going to need it) when Kali's words from the previous night floated back to him. Saying he wasn't good enough to make it here, that he'd never be able to succeed as a lawyer...

Where the hell did she get off saying that? Who died and made her the boss of the law? Gabriel was nothing if not petty. If Gabriel wanted to be a lawyer, then he'd damn well be a lawyer, and he'd be a much better fucking lawyer than Kali.

He opened up his phone and pulled a face at the picture of him and Kali that was still on his home screen. He quickly changed it to a different picture - this one of himself and a few of his sorority friends at a random acts of kindness event they'd held the previous year, all of them with face paint smudges all over themselves from where they'd offered free face painting to kids.

Much better.

Then, he made a quick call telling Jo that he actually wouldn't be able to make it today but that he’d come visit her and Ash as soon as he could, and then he got to work.

The first stop was Staples, to buy supplies. Gabriel loaded up on sticky notes, on index cards, on different colored marker pens, on big poster boards for key information, on notebooks, labels, binders, organizers, planners, staplers, stickers, glitter, and any other stationery he could find that he thought might come in vaguely useful. Next stop was the convenience store, where he emptied the fridge of pink lemonade energy drinks, buying as many as he could to keep him going through this. Then, he carried everything home, filled his fridge and organized his desk, and by lunchtime, he was sat there with a blank notebook and a textbook, ready to work.

Kali would hate him if he did well in school, he reminded himself as he plugged through page after page, writing down everything that seemed important or likely to be talked about in class. She'd be so mad. She wouldn't be able to believe that he could possible be more successful than she was. And it would be the sweetest, sweetest revenge that Gabriel had ever experienced...

He grinned to himself. That would be plenty to keep him going.

\--

It was like senior year all over again. Gabriel studied whenever he had a free moment, digging out his textbooks when he was getting his highlights done, flipping through his notecards as he waited in line in the grocery store, making and laminating special posters that he could hang on the wall in the shower. He was going to do well in school if it killed him. 

And, amazingly, he found his classes getting easier, too. Not just easier, but more interesting. Now that he felt like he knew the material, Gabriel realized that it was kind of cool getting to argue with people all the time. It gave him a rush, and if he did well in a debate, he always walked out of the classroom with a spring in his step and a smile on his face that not even a sighting of Kali and Castiel could bring down.

The one problem with studying so much was that Gabriel bit his nails when he wasn't paying enough attention to what he was doing. So, around a month into the semester, he made a second trip out to Donna's nail salon. This time, he brought Loki with him.

Donna greeted him like an old friend, even though the two of them had only met once before, and they discussed nail polish colors and designs before deciding on a soft gradient that started off bright yellow and faded to white at the tips. As soon as they sat down, Gabriel flipped open his textbook to where he'd left off that morning. Loki sat in his lap, a warm, comforting presence that helped him to concentrate.

"Are you really studying now?" Donna asked, sounding horrified.

"Yeah. I'm a student at the law school, we have a fuckton of work," Gabriel explained, not looking up from the page, waiting for her to act shocked or disbelieving.

She didn't. She just accepted it. "Well, sure, but even law students should be allowed to take breaks. Come on. That book goes away or I'll purposefully give you neon green nails."

"You wouldn't dare," Gabriel gasped, and Loki yapped.

"See? Your dog agrees with me. What's their name?"

"This is Loki," Gabriel grinned, petting him with pride. "He was my high school graduation present from my parents. You have no idea how difficult it was to sneak him into the freshman dorms at college. He was worth it, though. He always is."

Donna smiled. "Course he is. Some days I miss my dog more than anything."

"You had a dog? What happened to them?" Gabriel asked, sympathetic. He couldn't think of much in the world worse than losing a dog.

"My ex husband took him when we got divorced. He took the trailer, too. And the television, and the computer... pretty much everything we had. All I asked for was to keep Misha, that's the dog, since it wasn't like Doug ever really cared about him. But he just wanted to take everything from me out of spite. Because he knew I'd never stand up to him."

"Well, that's just fucked up," Gabriel scowled.

"Yeah. Nothing I can do about it, though."

"You sure about that? He still live in this trailer? Close by?"

Donna narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, why?"

Gabriel stood up, sending cuticle cream splashing all over the table. "Come on. You are taking a late lunch, and we are going to get your dog back. No arguments."

"But-"

"I said no arguments, okay! You made me stop studying, so I'm going to make you get your dog back. That's fair do's, right?"

Donna shook her head, but followed Gabriel out to his car, climbing in the passenger seat. She directed him to the trailer park, and Gabriel tried to act like he had any idea what a trailer park was like as the two of them drove up there and made their way over to Doug's trailer.

They stopped outside the door. Donna was just about to knock when Gabriel grabbed her hand. "Okay, you know what you're going to do? You gotta be strong, be firm, let him know you're not taking no for an answer here. You're the boss, and you've got the control in this situation, since there's no way he can get rid of you unless he hands over Misha. So don't let him tell you what to do. You've got to own it."

Donna jerked her head a few times, looking absolutely terrified.

"You ready?"

This time, Donna shook her head, but it was too late. Gabriel was already rapping hard on the trailer door.

There were a few crashes from inside, and then, a man in a stained tank top banged the door open and scowled down at his visitors. "What do you want?"

Donna looked up at him and cowered away.

"Have you put on weight, woman?" he asked, looking her up and down. "Should have known you'd let yourself go now that I'm not there to take care of you, isn't that right?"

Gabriel's eyes blazed. He gave Donna a few moments to see if she was going to stand up to him, and then he stepped forwards. "Well, she looks amazing, so why do you give a shit how much she weighs? It's not like you care about her wellbeing aside from that."

"Who are you, her bodyguard?" Doug snarled, staring at Gabriel.

Donna took a shaky step forward. "No. They're not. They're just a friend of mine who came to help me out. I... I want Misha back."

"Misha?"

"Yes, because he's my dog, and I was always the one who looked after him and took him for walks, and he should be with me. I'm not going to ask you for anything else. I never have, and I never will. Give me Misha, and I'll get out of here. And you won't have to see me, or my stomach filled with a whole bag of donuts that I bought from the bakery this morning and really fudging enjoyed every moment of, ever again."

Doug physically recoiled. “I’m not giving you the dog!”

Gabriel cleared his throat. 

“Actually, as Donna’s lawyer it’s my duty to tell you that under California state law, you and Ms Hanscum had a common law marriage which entitles her to the benefits of property law and an equitable division of assets. Due to the fact that you retained this residence, Ms Hanscum is entitled to full ownership of the canine property in question and we will be enforcing said ownership immediately.“

Doug blinked. “Huh?”

Donna slammed her hand on the trailer door.

“I’m taking the dog, dumbass!”

Doug disappeared back into the trailer, leaving the door open. A few moments later he reappeared, carrying a large golden retriever by the scruff of its neck and dumping it on the ground, where it happily climbed up Donna's legs and tried to lick her hands, pleased to see her.

"Fine. If you really care so much about him, I'll be glad to get rid of ‘im. Bastard takes up more space than he's worth." Doug wiped his hands on his pants and pulled a face. "Alright, I gotta get back to fixing my toilet. You kids have fun."

He slammed the door shut behind him, and Gabriel turned to Donna, jumping up and down. "We did it!"

Donna looked bemused but delighted as she held her hand up for a high five, pulling Gabriel into a hug with two dogs in the middle. Which really was the best kind of hug, in Gabriel's opinion.

"Alright, now let's get this little guy home," Donna scratched under Misha's chin, clearly unwilling to put him down how that she had him back. "Give him a nice bubble bath and then a long walk and lots of treats, because Doug hasn't been pampering you like you deserve, has he?"

Gabriel laughed, leaning down to give Loki a kiss on the nose, reminding him that he hadn't been forgotten. He drove Donna back to the salon and then himself back to school, where he did his best to recover from the impromptu study break by spreading himself out on the lawn in front of his building, lying on top of a blanket, his schoolbooks scattered around him.

He'd been working for an hour or so and had managed to get a decent amount of work done when Sam sat down next to him. 

"Hey, shortcake, what are you doing out here in the cold? You know most people only study outside in the summer, right?"

"I know that, Sammich," Gabriel shot back. "But the cold is good for concentration. Makes me want to study more, so that I can get out of the cold sooner. See?"

Sam didn't look convinced. "Just so long as I don't find you out here in the middle of January, okay? I worry about you. Don't want you getting frostbite."

"Not gonna get frostbite," Gabriel giggled. "Promise you I'll study inside when it gets really cold."

"Yeah, well. If you did get frostbite, I'd just wrap you in a blanket to warm you up. Which, you know. Is totally medically correct."

Gabriel giggled again, turning away to hide the fact that his face was turning red. He kind of liked the idea of Sam wrapping him in a blanket, especially right now.

"You know, we should study together sometime," Sam suggested. "I could use the extra motivation, and I might be able to help you with some things. Since I've taken all these classes before, even though it was a while ago."

Gabriel nodded. "That would be nice. I study basically all the time, so... just let me know when you're free."

Sam grinned. "Oh, you think I do other things besides school, work and coming over here to annoy you whenever I possibly can?"

Gabriel blushed all over again, and tried to deflect it by asking, "Where do you work?"

"I'm part time at Lucifer's law firm. He helps me out with tuition, and it's really good experience. Speaking of which. You're applying for his internship, right?"

Gabriel snorted. "Me? You've got to be joking. There's no way he'd hire me."

"Why not? You're a great student, I see you studying all the time, and let's be real, nobody has any clue what goes on inside that dude's head. You might as well apply. Not like you have anything to lose by giving him your resume."

Gabriel shrugged. He supposed Sam had a point, but there was such a thing as taking things one step at a time. "I don't even have a resume."

"Then I'll help you make one," Sam offered. "Right now if you like. Or any other time."

Gabriel thought about it for a moment, and then decided. "No, that's okay. I wrote my application myself, I can write my resume myself too. I'll figure it out. Though I definitely want to take you up on that offer of studying together at some point."

"You're independent. I like it," Sam said with an exaggerated wink, and then shook his head. "Oh my God, no, that sounded horrible. I'm just gonna go before I embarrass myself further. But good luck. Let me know about studying."

Gabriel waved as Sam walked away, and then wrapped his arms around himself. He really  _ was _ cold. One more chapter, he told himself, and then he would go inside and find his fluffiest blanket and warm himself up.

And work on his resume.

\--

"Let's see," Lucifer said in class the following day, strolling up and down between the rows of seats, searching for his next victim. Some people turned away, playing the old game of 'if I can't see him, he can't see me'. Gabriel, on the other hand, stood his ground, staring straight forwards, refusing to move.

"Gabriel Novak. Would you rather have a client who had committed a crime malum in se or malum prohibitum?"

Gabriel frowned. That question didn't make any sense. He knew the definitions, of course, he'd studied them the previous night, but it seemed like Lucifer was deliberately missing the point here. "Uh, neither. I would rather have a client who was innocent."

He gave an angelic smile and blew a bubble with his strawberry bubblegum. The class around him laughed.

Lucifer rolled his eyes and turned away. "Very noble of you, Mr Novak, but this is the real world, and in the real world we don't always have the luxury of defending people who fit our own moral codes. Now, who's going to answer this question seriously? Castiel Collins? Would you rather have a client who was guilty malum in se or malum prohibitum?"

Gabriel pulled a face. Of course Castiel was going to suck up and give exactly the answer Lucifer wanted and get the stupid fucking internship and then he'd have a sparkling career as well as a perfect wife and a future while Gabriel was stuck here with no clue what he was even doing except staring at a textbook for such a long time every day he was sure he really was going to need glasses by the end of the semester. 

And glasses didn't go with every outfit.

"Malum prohibitum," Castiel smirked, sounding pleased with himself. "That would be easier to defend, as there are more likely to be loopholes in the laws, and it's possible to examine the wording to find situations where the restrictions don't apply."

"Very good," Lucifer nodded. "Mr Collins is well on the way to-"

"I changed my mind," Gabriel blurted.

"Excuse me?" Lucifer turned to face him, confused. Nobody ever spoke up in his class unless they'd directly been called upon. But Gabriel didn't care right now. He wanted to get noticed, he wanted to be somebody, to speak up and not just sit on the sidelines with his face buried in a book.

"I choose the client who's guilty malum in se. Because I'm not afraid of a challenge."

He smirked and looked round the room, taking in everyone's horrified faces.

Lucifer looked furious. His face didn't usually show any emotion, and Gabriel knew that this was a very bad sign indeed.

"Is that so, Mr Novak? In that case... let me give you a possible scenario."

Gabriel gulped, knowing full well he was probably fucked now. He'd dug himself into this hole, and he'd have to talk his own way out of it.

Lucifer paced up and down the front of the classroom, his eyes fixed on Gabriel. "You want a challenge? Here's a challenge for you. A man named Mr Huntington becomes a sperm donor to make some extra money. He donates frequently, as often as is allowed by the state. Consequently he has a child, to whom he is granted visitation rights so long as he sticks within the hours set by the parents. But he takes a liking to this child's mother. He begins to show up uninvited on the family's doorstep, more and more frequently, insisting on visiting their child, putting forth the argument that without his donation, that child could not possibly exist. The mother's husband, Mr Latimer, feeling threatened, calls upon you to prosecute Mr Huntington for stalking and harassment. There is no legal precedent for such a conviction, of course, but... as you said, you're not afraid of a challenge," Lucifer said, sarcasm in his tone. "Prosecute him."

Gabriel stared at him, wide eyed and horrified. He didn't know how to do that - yes, they debated in class all the time, but it was voluntary, or people were asked specific questions, they didn't have to prepare a whole case. That wasn't fair. He'd only been here a couple of months, he couldn't...

"Well?" Lucifer asked again, smirking, sure that he'd caught Gabriel out here.

"I..." Gabriel began, floundering about for an answer. A sperm donor. That was a fancy title, but it basically just meant jerking off into a cup and getting paid for it. Gabriel jerked off all the time and he'd never once gotten paid, which he didn't think was very fair. "I, uh, I have to wonder if Mr Huntington kept a record of every sperm emission made throughout his life."

The class laughed harder. Lucifer didn't laugh, or even smile, just stared him down. "Why do you ask?"

Gabriel continued, more confident now, at least knowing what angle he was taking. "He thinks he has a claim over this child cause his sperm was used to make it. But how does he know, for sure, that that's the only kid he has? Has he tracked down every one night stand he's ever had and made absolutely sure that none of those unions ever resulted in a child? Because if not, then what makes this particular sperm, and this particular child, so special?"

Lucifer didn't reply, just kept staring at him. It was a little unnerving.

"And for that matter," Gabriel added, reaching his stride now, "what about masturbation? What about all those sperm that never even had a chance of reaching an egg? By Mr Huntington's logic, all of those could be termed reckless abandonment, wouldn't you say?"

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned forward, eyes wide and a tiny smile on his face. Lucifer advanced on him, stalking up the aisle, his mouth in a thin line.

"Mister Novak," he began, once he was standing right next to Gabriel - and, shit, Gabriel was going to get yelled at again, he should never have said any of that, Lucifer was just going to think he'd been mocking him-

"Yes?"

"I believe you've just won your case."

\--

At the end of the class, Gabriel skipped down the steps to where Lucifer was putting his notes back in his briefcase, nervously waiting until everyone else was out of the room, gripping his purse a little harder than was necessary. After a few moments, Lucifer turned back around, and looked surprised to see Gabriel there.

"Can I help you, Mr Novak?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yes. Yes you can. I was wondering, would it be okay if, I know I might not seem like the most obvious..."

"Spit it out, Mr Novak."

"I'd like to apply for your internship."

Lucifer pursed his lips and looked Gabriel up and down. "A few days ago I'd have said there was no point in my even reading your application. But today... you did well today. Do you have a resume?"

Gabriel grinned and nodded, his face lighting up as he pulled a folder with his freshly printed resume out of his purse. He handed over the sheet of card.

Lucifer frowned. "It's pink."

"Yes, and the headers are engraved in gold. I looked at all these websites for advice when I was writing it, and they said I should do something to make it unique. See, I drew little flowers in the corners-"

"When they say to make it unique, they usually mean to focus on the skills and experience that differentiate you from other applicants, Mr Novak."

Gabriel pulled a face. He'd screwed that one up, apparently. Still, his resume looked so much better than all those boring black and white templates he'd looked at. If  _ he’d _ been trying to hire someone for a job, he'd go crazy staring at those all day. "Yes, Professor Lucifer. I hope it won't hurt my chances."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "I'll consider you just the same as anyone else. Keep speaking up in class."

"Of course," Gabriel grinned, and then skipped back out of the room, pulling a lollipop out of his bag. He found his favorite flavor on the first try.

\--

Ever since he was a kid, Gabriel had spent December first decorating his home for Christmas, and this year was no exception. He even had a special Christmas collar for Loki and a tiny little Santa hat, just to get everyone in the festive mood. The past few years, he'd had a paper snowflake making party with some of his friends from home, and even though he was a long way away this year, he'd managed to figure it out.

"Hey Gabriel!" three voices shouted from a thousand miles away, Skype making it sound like they were all in the same room together. Jess, Jo and Meg waved tubs of glitter and sheets of paper around, all looking excited to start.

"Hey, I miss you guys!" Gabriel replied, turning the laptop three hundred and sixty degrees so that his friends could get the full effect of the lights, tinsel and mistletoe that he'd already strung up around the room. "What do you think?"

"It looks amazing, as always," Jess rolled her eyes. "Just wish I was there so I could use it as a studio to take your picture in again."

"Aw, you're too nice, I’m nowhere near pretty enough to be a model," Gabriel replied, and yes, there might have been a little bit of false modesty there, but what was so wrong with thinking he was cute?

"We miss you. Are you gonna be coming home for Christmas?" Jo asked.

Gabriel sighed. "I don't know. My parents keep talking about it, but I don't know if I want to see them right now. They keep trying to tell me I'm wasting my life by being at law school, that I should be planning parties and trying to find a girl to marry and having fun while I'm young... and I know they're just going to spend the whole holiday talking about Kali. I don't know if I can face that all right now."

Meg shook her head sympathetically. "You're welcome at mine if you don't want to face your family. I get it, you know I do."

"Yeah," Gabriel shrugged. "I don't know. I kind of just want to stay up here."

"I thought you said you didn't feel like you fit in there?" Meg frowned.

"I don't! I just... I don't feel like I fit in back home either. I don't really  _ know _ where I fit in. So I think I want to be alone for now. You get it?"

Jess and Jo turned to look at each other, frowning and shaking their heads. They'd very rarely been seen apart since elementary school. "No, not really..."

There was a slightly awkward pause, and then Gabriel held up a pair of scissors that cut in wavy lines. "Come on, guys. Snowflake time."

The sound of Christmas music filled the air, slightly distorted by the internet but still clear enough that Gabriel could sing along out of tune, and the four of them happily cut and pasted until they'd made a pretty impressive pile of snowflakes. Gabriel's pile was smaller, but he definitely managed to hold his own against the other three, and they all held up their creations to show off to each other, occasionally commenting on the song choices or asking opinions on what color the next one should be. 

It wasn't quite the same as being in the room with them - Gabriel was constantly aware of the distance between them, but he wasn't sure if he was talking about the physical distance, or about something else entirely. He tried not to think about it too much.

They were about two thirds of the way through their piles of craft supplies when there was a knock on the door. Gabriel frowned. There weren't usually a lot of knocks on his door.

"One moment, ladies," he said, and stood up to open it.

Castiel Collins stood on the other side, dressed far too formally for a Saturday afternoon, shifting from one foot to the other and looking nervous. "Hello, Gabriel."

"Castiel?" he asked, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Who is it?" Jo called out, leaning forward, her face filling the entire screen.

Castiel glanced at her and smiled, maybe the first kind smile that Gabriel had ever seen from him.

"Sorry, I'll, uh, I'll just go end the call, I'm guessing you don't want my nosy friends from back home listening in..." Gabriel said with an attempt at a smile.

Castiel nodded, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Hey, I'll, uh, I'll call you back in a bit, yeah?" Gabriel promised, biting his lip, and closed off the call without waiting for a response.

He stood up again, dusting himself off. "Um, hey."

"Hey," Castiel nodded.

"I didn't know you knew where I lived."

"I could guess. The apartment directly above me had these bright pink Christmas lights in the window. I didn't know who else would have those."

Gabriel chuckled. "I guess I am pretty easy to spot. You caught me."

"May have been embarrassing if I had shown up at the wrong door."

"You took a risk and it paid off. That's what lawyers do, right?" Gabriel cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"I suppose it is, yes."

"So, uh..." Gabriel glanced around, trying not to make eye contact with Castiel. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to say... Kali and I are getting a few people together for Christmas drinks. And I wondered if you'd like to join us. I know things ended badly at the party, but I thought that perhaps..."

Gabriel cut him off, shaking his head. "Oh, no. No, I'm not falling for that one again. I don't know what you're trying to trick me into this time, but I don't want any part of it."

"It's not a trick this time, I promise you. I would honestly like to clear the air between us."

Gabriel looked at him. Castiel really did seem genuine but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't let himself fall into another trap. And seeing Kali was the last thing he wanted right now. He really just wanted to focus and study hard, especially since finals were coming up and he was getting seriously nervous.

"No, I... I don't want to take that risk. I know I said lawyers are supposed to take risks, but based on past precedent... this risk is too big."

Castiel shrugged, smiling sadly. "I can't entirely argue with that. I'm sorry."

Gabriel didn't know why that apology made him feel kind of empty. He didn't know why he was feeling any of what he was feeling right now, really. "Me too."

"Your truffles were really good, by the way."

"My what?"

"The truffles. You brought them to us in the library that first week. I ate a handful, and we all agreed that you are very talented. Thankyou."

With that, Castiel gave him a small smile and then turned and walked back down the corridor, shutting the door behind him.

"Thanks," Gabriel shouted as loud as he could, but he wasn't sure if Castiel would even be able to hear it through the closed door.

 


	6. Heart of Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gabriel is a classy lady who only drinks champagne

Gabriel had to make a store run. He gathered his hair up into a ponytail and fixed it with a sparkly scrunchie, changed into jeans since he wouldn't be seen dead out in public wearing sweatpants, even pink ones, and ran out to buy large quantities of chocolate, sprinkles and whiskey. He was allowing himself one afternoon off from studying and that was all, so he had to work fast.

"Finals week getting to you, huh?" someone asked from behind him.

Gabriel turned around, tripping over his own feet and having to grab onto the counter for support, and Sam laughed.

"How is it that when I see you and you're wearing six inch heels you manage to keep your balance perfectly, but when you're wearing sneakers, you practically fall all over yourself? Shouldn't it be the other way round?"

"I'm a girl of many mysteries," Gabriel growled, his face bright red as he tried to right himself. "And I'm not eating this stuff. Wait, who eats sprinkles straight from the can, anyway?"

"If I could imagine anyone doing that, it would be you."

Gabriel couldn't really deny that. Actually, now that he thought about it, eating sprinkles straight from the can sounded absolutely delicious. Maybe if he had any leftovers once he was done baking... "No, I'm actually making truffles. They're to bring to my exams. I thought that if people could have something sweet to eat while they take the exams, it might help... the sudden sugar rush helps with concentration, and eating good food also releases endorphins, so people feel more positive and less stressed. And I've had good reviews. I think people will appreciate them."

"So..." Sam frowned. "You're using time you could be studying to make something that will help other people do better on the exams? Giving yourself a disadvantage, and them an advantage? That's crazy. This is law school. It's every man for himself."

Gabriel shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm not a man. And I just wanted to do something nice."

Sam smiled and looped his arm through Gabriel's. "You want any help making them?"

"What?"

"Four classes, a hundred kids in each class. That's going to be a lot of truffles. You might need an assistant. I've never made truffles before, but I could just do the easy bits, right?"

Gabriel thought for a second, and then nodded. "Yeah, alright then. If you're sure you don't want the extra couple hours studying. Give yourself the advantage in this dog eat dog world of yours," he finished, extra sarcastically.

"Your dog is far too cute to eat," Sam pointed out, and the two of them giggled as they headed back to the kitchen in Gabriel's apartment building.

\--

"Truffle? Hi, would you like a truffle? Anyone for truffles?"

Gabriel stood at the doorway to his final exam of the semester - just two more hours and he'd have a break for three whole weeks - holding out a large silver plate heaped with truffles. Those people who shared his other classes smiled and thanked him, used to this by now, while those who only had criminal law with him looked bemused as they took a truffle from the plate, as though they wanted to ask why exactly he was doing this, butwere far too preoccupied with the other, more important things that they were doing to ask about his baking habits. Gabriel noticed that Kali was one of very few people who did not take a truffle, and the only person who didn't acknowledge him at all, not even making eye contact.

Once everyone was in the room, Gabriel popped a truffle into his own mouth and walked inside, taking his seat. He pulled out a pink feather tipped pen, turned over his exam paper, and began to write.

Two hours later, his hand was sore, but at least he knew his exam would stand out from the rest. Mostly because of the ink color, but hopefully for other reasons too. He'd have to wait and see, and just keep his fingers crossed that he'd pass all his classes and that they'd allow him back into school for his next semester. It wasn't like he had any kind of backup plan right now.

Maybe he should come up with one.

That being said, it wasn't like he'd ever had any kind of backup plan in the past, and things had always worked out just fine.

On their way out of the exam, everyone around him looked far more relaxed, laughing and high fiving each other, excited to have maybe their first night of not studying all semester. Most of them lingered for a while longer, chatting to each other and making plans, but Gabriel was already due somewhere. He raced out of the building and hopped into his car, zooming off down the highway to the nail salon.

"Donna!" he called as soon as he got inside. "Donna, I did it, I survived the semester!"

Donna looked up from where she was busy painting a client's nails. "Congratulations, sweetheart. You did great. Nails are on me, just as soon as I'm done with Amy here."

Gabriel flopped down into a free chair and pulled a magazine out of his bag, ecstatic to get a chance to read the Christmas edition of Vogue instead of some law textbook that had been written a hundred years ago and contained precisely zero pictures of pretty, sparkly dresses. "Alright, but only if you let me do your nails too."

"That's why I took my polish off last night," Donna grinned.

"Oh!" Gabriel remembered, pulling the box of leftover truffles from his bag. "I brought truffles! I was gonna save them until you were done, but Amy, would you like one too?"

Amy looked at the plate, a little suspiciously.

"You can trust Gabriel, they're a great cook," Donna smiled, and Amy relaxed and took one, making a pleased noise as soon as she'd bit into it.

Gabriel beamed.

Gabriel had also brought the rest of the bottle of whiskey that he'd used to make the truffles, but that remained safely in his bag until Donna had closed up the salon. Then, the two of them sat down with the truffles, the booze and the four cheese pizza that Donna had ordered, talking, eating and drinking well into the night.

"So, I found out her name," Donna smiled, bashful.

"Oh yeah? The UPS lady? Tell me everything. Tell me the exact details of what happened, leave nothing out, I cannot  _ believe _ you didn't open with this."

"She came in the other day, and I told her I wanted to give her a Christmas card, but I didn't want to just address it to the woman who delivers the post, so could I have her name? And she said it was Jody. So I wrote her a card. And now I'm scared that she's not going to come in again before Christmas, because I haven't ordered anything. So it might become a New Year's card... or Chinese New Year..."

"Or Valentine's Day!" Gabriel winked. "Seriously, though, that was smooth. I'm impressed. You did good."

Donna blushed. "It really wasn't that smooth. I might have had donut powder all over my face. I might also have knocked over a whole bottle of nail polish and splashed some on her uniform..."

Gabriel fell about laughing, the kind of full body laugh that had him leaning forward and banging his head against the table. "Okay, okay, you're right, that sounds more like you. Good, cause I'd be seriously worried if you'd actually managed to be smooth..."

"Hey!" Donna protested, flicking the nail polish brush at Gabriel and spattering some on his bare arm. "Rude!"

"I'm just telling it like it is!" Gabriel protested. "And joke's on you, I don't mind at all having gold glittery paint on my arms. I think I could make it a thing." He grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniel's and took another swig, pulling a face at the taste. He actually thought straight liquor was pretty damn disgusting (and, in fact, wasn't a fan of straight anything. If it were pansexual liquor, he may have liked it better) but it was alcoholic, he was having fun and he wanted to be having more fun, so he was going with it.

He glanced down at Donna's nails, which he was attempting to paint white. It looked like he'd actually got more polish on the skin around the nail than on the nail itself. "I, uh, I may be making a bit of a mess here..."

Donna glanced down at her fingers and burst into gales of laughter. "It looks like I got a manicure from a five year old! What are my clients going to think?"

"Just tell them a drunk law student did your nails, I'm sure they'll understand," Gabriel giggled, reaching for another bottle of polish. He'd already messed them up, he might as well mess them up even more with a few different colors so that then he could call it art.

"I think that would probably only lead to more questions."

"I think you might be right."

The two of them laughed again, and continued adding to the rainbow of colors on each other's nails and drinking their whiskey until the bottle was empty and they both had multicolored hands, at which point they both passed out in the massage chairs in the salon.

It wasn't even Christmas yet, but it was already one of the best Christmases Gabriel had ever had.

\--

"Hello?"

On New Year's Eve, Gabriel was relaxing in his bedroom, giving himself a face mask and drawing out a few dress designs, when his phone rang with an unknown number. That was intriguing. He wouldn't usually pick up, but he was bored, and it was a holiday, and something told him he should.

"Hey, Gabriel, it's Sam. You gave me your number when we were making the truffles, so I figured it would be okay if I called you... that's okay, right? If this is weird, I'll hang up and text you instead. You just let me know if I'm taking things too fast."

Gabriel let out a tiny gasp and covered his mouth with his hand, already smiling. It was Sam! Sam had called him! This Christmas just kept getting better and better. "No, you're fine! I actually like talking on the phone. I know most people don't, but I think it's fun, I like being able to hear people's voices."

Sam chuckled. "Well, how do you feel about talking in person? Specifically, going out for a drink? Lucifer just got assigned a really big case, so I came back to campus right after Christmas, but there's not a chance I'm going out with my boss on New Year's. And then I remembered you saying that you'd be around over break, so I thought..."

"Yes," Gabriel said immediately. "Yeah, I'd like that. Where do you want to meet?"

"There's a little bar called the Roadhouse just off the highway, a few miles down. Most people don't know it, so it should be pretty quiet, and we'll be able to actually talk. If you're into that. Talking, that is. If you'd rather go to a club or something..."

"No, talking is fine. Talking is great, actually. Honestly, I think I might be growing out of the whole club thing," Gabriel confessed, saying that aloud for the first time. "The other night I went to bed before midnight. Sam, I'm twenty-two. I'm having an existential crisis over here. I shouldn't go to bed before midnight until I'm at least thirty."

"Well, be at the Roadhouse in an hour and I'll help calm you down from your existential crisis, okay? And I'll make absolutely sure you don't go to bed before midnight tonight."

"An hour..." Gabriel whispered faintly, but Sam had already hung up. An hour? Gabriel had less than an hour to get ready for New Year's? He'd survived a term at one of the top law schools in the country, yes, but getting ready to go out in such a short time was possibly still beyond his capabilities.

Gabriel dug in his closet, looking for the perfect outfit, and after tossing half of the clothes he owned onto the floor he happened upon a bright red lace dress with floaty cap sleeves edged in silver beads. That was cute. He could work with that. And he had shiny red pumps to match too, and he probably had just about enough time to curl his hair, if he worked quickly... and then he could finish it all off with some bright red lipstick for a classic look.

He nodded to himself and smiled. He had a plan.

About an hour and fifteen minutes later (sue him, looking perfect was worth sacrificing a little bit of time) he strolled into the Roadhouse, glancing around for Sam. He didn't have to look for long - Sam was already bounding over to him, looking like a puppy with a huge, excited grin on his face. He grabbed Gabriel's arm and led him over to a high table, where he'd already bought a bottle of champagne.

"I didn't know what you liked to drink, but I figured this was a safe bet, since I know you're a classy person," Sam winked.

Gabriel was sure that he had actual heart eyes when he looked at Sam. "You were exactly right. If I could only drink one alcohol for the rest of my life, it would probably, absolutely, definitely be champagne."

"One alcohol," Sam chuckled. "One, of the alcohols. Are you sure you're not already drunk?"

Gabriel smacked his arm lightly. "Hey! Don't make fun of me! One type of alcohol, you knew what I meant."

"Maybe I like making fun of you. Maybe your reactions are adorable. Then again, you're adorable all the time, so..."

Gabriel shook his head and buried his face in his hands. "Mnot."

"Yes you are, and you know it too."

"Maybe I know it a little bit..." Gabriel whispered into his champagne glass, old memories coming back. Remembering the time he’d been at the restaurant with Kali, hoping  _ she  _ would buy champagne for him, expecting that by the end of the night, the two of them would be engaged...

"You okay there?" Sam asked. "You look like you got sad all of a sudden."

"Yeah," Gabriel shrugged. "I don't know. It happens sometimes. I try to be happy all the time, cause I spent so much time being sad when I was a teenager, but... sometimes being happy just takes up so much energy."

"I know what you mean," Sam smiled, leaning over to rub his arm. "Why were you always sad as a teenager? You, uh, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But if you do... I'll listen, and I won't judge you. Promise."

Gabriel blinked up at Sam. He hadn't really talked about any of this for a very long time, and he tried not to think about it at all. But for some reason, he wanted to tell Sam. Sam was the kind of person that he just couldn't help trusting. Sam could ask him his credit card information and his social security number and Gabriel would probably give it to him. Not that he was planning on mentioning that.

"You know. Middle school, high school, it's not a fun place. Anyone who's different gets picked on. You were probably fine cause you're cute and all, and you must have played sports or something, but..." Gabriel shook his head.

"I did not play sports. If you're gonna stereotype me and accuse me of playing basketball..." Sam laughed. "Nah. I was a nerd through and through. Spent my lunch periods in classrooms reading. Plus my family moved around a lot, so I was always the new kid. So I got picked on too. I get it."

Gabriel nodded, relieved that Sam wasn't going to think any less of him for it. "Okay. That actually helps. Not that I want you to get picked on, but..."

"No, I knew what you meant. So what was it for you? What excuse did they have for picking on the lovely Gabriel Novak?"

Gabriel gestured to himself. "Are you kidding me? I did even the slightest feminine thing, like, I dunno, wear my favorite pink shirt with a butterfly on it, and suddenly I got all these accusations of being a girl, and a pussy, and gay... worse stuff, too, you can probably guess. And I wanted to tell them that the joke was on them because I didn't mind being called a girl and I definitely wasn't straight, but I wasn't brave enough back then, and I didn't really know about different identities and stuff, I thought I was just... messed up. And besides, it was the way they were saying it. Like, the words themselves weren't insulting to me, but the tone of voice... I knew they wanted to hurt me, and I wasn't difficult to hurt back then, so I got upset. And I cried, a lot, and it made my face blotchy, which sucked even more. And then I tried to hide all that stuff, the way I dressed and everything, to wear normal clothes like the other boys did. I forced myself to wear jeans and polo shirts and boxers and sneakers and everything that boys were supposed to wear, and I was miserable, cause it wasn't me. And then they laughed at me again for trying to fit in," Gabriel shrugged. "Can't win."

Sam nodded in sympathy, "Yeah, that sounds like high school. Guess it's the same everywhere, right?"

"Guess so," Gabriel mumbled, his mind overflowing with too many bad memories for one night.

"So what changed? What made you decide 'fuck it' and that you'd just start dressing how you want anyway?"

That was a much happier memory. "Honestly? Not to be a walking cliche, but it was prom. There was this girl who I was taking with me, Charlie. We were just going as friends, since neither of us had anyone we wanted to take as an actual date. We went out shopping together and she started talking about how much she hated dresses and how she was going to feel really uncomfortable wearing one, and joked that she'd rather wear the tux. So I said that she could. And that I'd wear a dress. And at first she thought that I was just doing it to make her feel better, but then I tried some on, and... well, she realized that I wasn't. And she's the one who told me it was possible for someone to not be male  _ or _ female. Anyway, we had a great time, and some people actually told me I looked good. So then I decided that at college I was going to wear as many dresses as I wanted and that I was going to own it and come out to everyone and not give a shit what they thought about the way I dressed or my gender identity, and I was going to be cool even if it killed me. And, well, I got to be president of a sorority. So I was pretty damn cool, in the end."

Sam looked at him with sparkling eyes, almost like he was proud of Gabriel, even though all this had happened years ago. "So, come on. I know you have pictures on that bedazzled phone of yours, and I know you're just dying to show me, so bring them out."

"What, of prom?" Gabriel asked, knowing he'd been caught out.

"Yep. In your fancy dress that made even homophobic shithead bullies tell you how beautiful you were."

"You're exaggerating," Gabriel told him, but pulled out his phone all the same. It only took a few moments of searching before he found what he was looking for - him and Charlie stood in front of a shiny white vintage Cadillac, her in a smart black tuxedo with a pink bow tie, her arm round his waist as she smirked at the camera, him in a long pale pink ballgown style dress, with silver beads and gems stitched all over it that sparkled in the light of the camera, his face absolutely glowing with pride.

"Wow..." Sam breathed. He looked to be a little bit speechless.

"What?"

"You, you really went all the way. That's the sparkliest dress I've ever seen in my life."

"Why, what kind of dress did your prom date wear?" Gabriel scowled, defending himself.

"I, uh..." Sam scratched his head and gave Gabriel a bashful grin. "I took a guy to prom. Brady. He and I both wore tuxes."

"You took-" Gabriel wasn't sure why this news made his heart beat faster, but for some reason, it did.

"Yes, a guy. Is that okay with you? I hope you're not going to think any differently of me," Sam said his eyes wide, pretending to be concerned.

Gabriel dipped his fingers in his champagne and flicked them at Sam. "I just didn't expect it, that's all. But that's cool. Super great, in fact."

"Not really, he was an asshole."

"Then I'll fight him. Nobody gets to hurt Sam Winchester and lives."

"You're like, eight inches tall, and he's got martial arts training. You couldn't fight him."

"I could stab him with a stiletto heel."

Sam snorted. "The worst part is, I really can imagine you doing that to someone."

Gabriel grinned, proud. "Damn right I would if I needed to."

They'd finished the bottle of champagne. Gabriel was fully prepared to get the second bottle, but Sam stopped him, insisting it was his treat, getting up and walking over to the bar. By the time he got back to the table with their new bottle, the TV had switched over to Times Square, where they were getting ready to drop the ball.

Sam clinked his glass against Gabriel's. "Here's to an awesome year where school doesn't kick our asses too badly."

"Here's to you doing amazing on the bar exam, and me convincing you that you'd look hot as hell with a bit of eyeliner," Gabriel replied, and the two of them knocked their glasses back as everybody in the Roadhouse started counting down.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!" Gabriel yelled, pumping his fist in the air and wishing he had some kind of confetti or something.

"Seven! Six! Five!" Sam chimed in, trying to be even louder than Gabriel.

Gabriel turned to him and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'it's on'. "Four!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Sam turned and made eye contact with Gabriel, as if accepting the challenge. "Three!" he bellowed even louder.

Gabriel felt the breath get knocked out of him as he met Sam's intense gaze. "Two..." he whispered, breathless, leaning forward towards Sam before he even knew what he was doing.

"One..." Sam murmured, moving closer as well, the two of them focused entirely on each other, Gabriel's heart beating faster and faster. He could see all the different colors in Sam's eyes now - they weren't just hazel, they were a whole mixture of greens and browns and golds that came together to make the most beautiful, soulful eyes Gabriel had ever seen.

The crowd around them chanted "Happy New Year!" as Gabriel's eyes fluttered closed, and Sam's lips brushed the corner of his mouth, ever so gently-

-before pulling back, Sam grimacing and shaking his head. Gabriel's eyes flew open and he stared at Sam, pleading. "I-"

"I'm sorry," Sam jumped in. "Sorry, you didn't need that, you just went through a breakup, I wasn't trying to make things weird, it's just a New Year's tradition, I know you just need a friend right now-"

"Yeah. Right. Tradition. Friends," Gabriel nodded, even though his heart was sinking and his eyes kept flickering back to Sam's lips. They looked soft. They'd felt soft for the moment they'd touched Gabriel's skin, but he really, badly wanted to find out for sure.

But, no. Of course somebody as wonderful as Sam, with the brightest future imaginable, wouldn't actually want to kiss a weird kid like him. And besides, this was how Gabriel had got himself into trouble last time. He couldn't let himself fall for somebody out of his league again.

"More champagne?" he asked, holding up the bottle, and Sam nodded.


	7. Live Life in the Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BEND AND SNAP

"Lucifer picked his first year interns!"

They'd only been back at school for two days when the buzz spread around the halls. Gabriel still didn't really know anybody well enough to ask, so he tried to pick up on the gossip by listening in to everybody else's conversations.

"He's got this really high profile case, it just came in!" one girl hissed to her friend as they walked down the corridor. Gabriel followed them, trying to look like he was minding his own business.

"So, what, he wants first years on it? That doesn't seem right." The friend was apparently skeptical.

"I think he just needs help with his workload! They'll probably just be making the coffee, but still. I'm so jealous."

"You're not even in his class."

"I know," the girl sighed. "I mean, we all knew Kali Tempest was going to get picked. And Castiel Collins. You know all the professors have had them down as future partners for their firms since the moment they walked in here. Next to them, it's not like I'd even stand a chance."

"What about that other kid, though? The weird one with the dresses? Lucifer's gotta be out of his mind-"

Gabriel's eyes widened and he ducked and hid behind a strategically placed trash can. Had they been talking about him?

No, it wasn't possible. It had to just be a sudden change in conversation topic - once a regular topic was over, people would default back to mocking him. That was all.

Still... he had nothing to use by just casually walking past and checking the board outside Lucifer's office, did he?

His heart beating like he'd just taken three shots of Five Hour Energy, Gabriel darted back down the corridor, snaking through a crowd of people coming the other way, and didn't stop until he'd reached the board.

So much for subtly strolling past and checking.

There was already a huge knot of people waiting and staring at the notice, mumbling amongst themselves, and Gabriel had absolutely no hope of seeing who the names were unless he pushed to the front of the group.

"Excuse me," he whispered, tapping somebody on the shoulder, wondering if he could make it through without disrupting anybody or letting them know he was there. But the crowd was packed tight, and Gabriel was wearing flats today, so it was a hard time trying to push past people.

"Excuse me," he tried again, a little louder, putting his elbows into it. A few people shrugged him off, annoyed, tightening the crowd still further and refusing to let him through.

Gabriel took a deep breath, his eyes focused on the piece of paper that, right now, was nothing more than a blur of text. He had to at least know. If he wasn't on the list, then that was fine, but he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else today until he knew for sure, no matter how much of a long shot it was...

"Would you all fucking let me through!" he screamed as loud as he could possibly manage. Everyone shut up and turned to stare at him, and then, silently, the crowd parted, leaving him with a clear run to the board.

Gabriel held his head high and walked through the gap, until he was close enough to read the words.

_ First Year Interns _

_ at Lucifer Law LLC _

_ Please Report to the Firm Office, Friday, January 8 at 9am _

_ Or Lose Your Position _

_ Kali Tempest _

_ Castiel Milton _

_ Kevin Tran _

_ Gabriel Novak _

"Me!" Gabriel cheered. spinning round and leaning back against the board, his hands thrown in the air in triumph. He was still shorter than everyone else staring at him, but for some reason he felt tall now. He felt like he could do anything. 

He'd done it. He'd really succeeded. He'd managed to score the internship that the entire first year class wanted, the same one that Kali had gotten, he'd really shown her, he'd proved once and for all that he was just as good as her.

"Alright, chill out," scame a voice from the front of the crowd, effectively bursting Gabriel's bubble.

Gabriel opened his mouth in horror at the small Asian kid who didn't look anywhere near old enough to actually be in law school, gesturing to the board behind him. "It's my name on the list! I got the internship! Don't tell me to chill out!"

"Yeah, so did I, you don't see me screaming like I'm on a rollercoaster. Some of us have eardrums we want to preserve, you know."

Gabriel scanned the list again. "You're Kevin Tran?"

"Yeah. You must be Gabriel Novak. I've heard about you."

Gabriel held out his hand for the kid to shake. "Yeah, most people have."

Kevin nodded, refusing to apologize for what he had inevitably heard about Gabriel. "Well, I'll see you Friday. Hopefully you'll be able to keep yourself to a normal speaking volume in there."

"I'll do my best." Gabriel scampered away, suitably chastised, and got into his car. He had to tell Donna this good news, right away.

He may have broken a few speed limits on the way to the nail salon, but it wasn't like anybody was really paying attention. Besides, he was excited, so it only made sense that his car was excited, too. Loki, in his winter collar and his matching pink plaid sweater, yapped in the passenger seat besides him, and Gabriel scooped him up as he ran into the salon. "Donna, guess what!"

Everyone in the salon looked around to see who was causing the scene, and a lot of them waved at him. Gabriel realized that he recognized most of the regulars by now - even if he hadn't actually spoken to them, he was in here often enough that they were familiar to him, and he knew their names and what they liked to have done.

Donna was just finishing up with a client, so she waved Gabriel over. "What's happened? You're smiling, so that's got to be a good sign."

"I got the internship!" Gabriel grinned, bouncing on his heels. "At a big law firm in the city! Only four first years get to work there and I'm one of them!"

To his surprise, Donna's face fell. "That's a shame, love. I was going to tell you you should pick up a few hours here. I'm looking for some extra part time staff, and you're the obvious pick, you're a natural at everything we do here."

Gabriel let out a tiny 'oh' of surprise. "Shit, I'm sorry, I would have taken you up on-"

"No cursing during business hours, this is a safe for work zone," Donna reminded him. "But I'm really proud of you. This is a great opportunity. You'll make a wonderful lawyer."

"I don't know about that." Gabriel shook his head - he still couldn't quite picture himself as an actual lawyer, one with a real job and a real caseload. He was still just kind of playing at being a lawyer, the same way he played at being a rich French debutante in the Victorian era sometimes when he tried on fancy vintage dresses.

"You will. And if it doesn't work out, there's always a place for you here," Donna reminded him, smiling.

"Thanks," Gabriel grinned, sinking down into the now vacant chair. "So, French manicure? That sounds like it'll be professional enough for my first day on the job, right?"

Donna agreed, and started getting the polishes ready, filing and buffing Gabriel's nails.

"So what about you?" Gabriel asked, leaning back and closing his eyes, relaxing into the treatment chair. "What's new with you? Misha still doing okay?"

"He's doing wonderfully, yeah. He's pleased to be home with someone who actually takes him for walks. Hey, you should bring Loki over sometime so that they can actually go for walks together!"

Gabriel grinned, his face lighting up. "That would be awesome. Loki needs more puppies to play with. I mean, he has my friend Sam, who is basically a puppy, but, you know..."

Donna chuckled. "You know, most people don't call their friends puppies. You sure he's just a friend?"

"Yeah, of course. You know, he just has this long shiny hair and does the puppy eyes thing and gets excited and cuddly like a... you know what, we were supposed to be talking about you. You seem Kim recently?"

Donna groaned. "Don't go there. I feel like every time she comes in, I just end up messing things up further. Why is it that I can make conversation with any client, easy as, but the second Kim comes in I just freeze up and can't say a single word?"

"What did you do this time?"

Donna sighed, shaking her head and averting Gabriel's eyes. "I might have told her I like her nose..."

"Her... nose?" Gabriel checked, bemused. "Is it pierced or something?"

"No, it's just... it's a good nose. Very cute. And I was looking at it when she leant down to get me to sign the package and it had a few freckles on it and I hadn't said anything and I realized I should probably say something, so I accidentally said that I liked her nose. And she gave me a really strange look. And she thanked me, but she sounded like she thought it was weird. And then she left."

"Alright," Gabriel sighed, standing up. He really, really wanted to enjoy getting his nails done and his hands moisturized, but some things were even more important than that. And this was for the greater good. "You really need some help. And I say that with love. I am going to show you a move that my mother taught me in middle school, and this is how I got my first boyfriend, so it is going to save your life. I call it the bend and snap."

"The what?" Donna asked, her eyes going wide. "I'm not sure Jody's going to appreciate any moves, she seems like a pretty straightforward gal, nothing like you..."

"Donna, do you trust me?"

Donna sighed, giving in. "Course I do, honey."

"Then trust me. Okay, you have a pen? Never mind, I have a pen." Gabriel pulled his pink feathered pen out of his purse. "So, next time Kim comes in, she's going to get you to sign for a package. And what you do, is you ever so casually knock the pen onto the floor, as though you did it by accident. And then you reach down, like this."

Gabriel flipped over, bending himself in half like an acrobat, reaching down to the floor and sticking his ass in the air. "This is the bend, and this is where you show off your butt. It's the best angle for it. And Jody's gonna be speechless, and she's not gonna be able to take her eyes off you. And that's when you stand up like this."

Gabriel flipped back the right way up, pulling his shoulders and head back and grinning, biting down on his lower lip a little bit. "That's the snap! You gotta do it suddenly, so that she doesn't know what hit her, and that's how you show off your chest. It makes you look confident, like you know what you want, you know exactly how hot you are, and most importantly of all, that you know she wants you. Here. Let me demonstrate again."

Gabriel repeated the move, flipping down and then back up again and retrieving the pen. This time he put it between his lips for a moment and then pulled it out with a pop.

"But I don't know she wants me. And I'm not hot, and I'm not confident," Donna protested.

"Well, that's bullshit." Gabriel flounced back to his seat and plopped down into it. "You're hot as shit! And that uniform you wear all day doesn't hide it. And I know that if I got you in a tight sparkly dress, everyone who saw you would stop and stare because your figure is out of this world. So come on. Give it a go. Bend and snap."

A woman who Gabriel recognized as Cassie got up from where she was having her highlights done. "It's true. That move is how I met my wife. Watch me." She knocked a hairbrush onto the floor. "Bend... and snap."

The whole salon was watching by this point. Donna shook her head, realizing she was outnumbered.

"Seriously? You all do this?"

Women all round the salon nodded. A few more of them stood up, walking over to the center of the action, ready to show off their skills. Gabriel pointed at each one in turn, and as he did so, each person showed off the move, each putting their own little flourish into it.

Gabriel clapped. "Amazing! You all look spectacular, I can't believe you all don't have people falling over themselves to ask you out. You probably do, you're just too good for most of them, am I right?"

There were laughs and nods of agreement from the crowd as a whole.

"Alright, Donna. You're up. You've had training from the best, now it's your turn."

Tentatively, Donna stood up. Gabriel handed her his pen, and, legs shaking, she stepped into the middle of the circle that had formed. Her eyes looked terrified, like she was attempting some kind of skydive where she was only fifty per cent sure her parachute was even working.

"Come on, Donna!" Gabriel shouted, clapping his hands together. "Donna! Donna! Donna!"

Everyone joined in, chanting Donna's name. Donna raised the pen high in the air and let it go - it sailed to the floor with a small clack, and then Donna flipped herself over, giving her ass a little wiggle as she retrieved the pen, flipping herself back the right way up, tossing her hair over her shoulder and pouting as she held up the pen in triumph.

The crowd around her cheered, and Gabriel beamed in pride, hugging his knees to his chest as he whooped and hollered. Donna blushed bright red and hid her face, but smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

Gabriel wrapped an arm round her as she came back over to her seat. "That was incredible. I mean it, you're better than me, and you've only been doing this for a few minutes. Like, I know you had great instruction, but for your first try? I've never been prouder in my life."

Donna shook her head. "You're exaggerating. I wasn't that good."

"Yes you fucking were," Gabriel muttered. "You are getting the biggest ever tip today."

"What, because I picked up your pen and wiggled my tits around?"

"Yes. Exactly. Because they're great tits. Hey, I'm just saying, if you unbuttoned your shirt, just a little bit, just to hint at some skin, it might be even better..."

"I don't know about that." Donna crossed her arms over her chest, a little self conscious.

"Whatever makes you comfortable. I mean, it's not like you need anything extra, that was already perfect. But I can't really put my boobs into it, cause I don’t have any... so you should totally do it in my honor."

Donna snorted, blushing again, but consented to undo just the top button of her pink uniform shirt. "Happy?"

"Very. Always am when I'm here."

"You sap."

Gabriel relaxed back into the chair, the excitement over for the day - or so he thought. But Donna had only just finished up the base coat on one hand when the door to the salon chimed again and Jody herself walked in, a heavy package in her arms. Somehow her packages seemed to get heavier and heavier every time she came to call, and yet she never looked like she broke a sweat hauling them around. Probably showing off for Donna, Gabriel thought privately to himself.

"Hi, Donna," she called, walking straight over and ignoring everybody else. "Package for you."

Gabriel leaned across the table and nudged Donna, his eyes widening in excitement. "You got this!"

Donna took a deep breath, holding her hand out for the pen, trembling slightly.

"Alright, you know the drill, if you could just sign here..."

Donna took the pen, held it up - being a little obvious, but Gabriel could forgive her that - and dropped it.

Jody gasped, setting the package on the floor. "Here, let me get that-" she offered, and bent down to pick it up at the exact same moment Donna did her flip. Their hands both scrabbled for the pen, and then, having successfully won the battle, Donna righted herself - except that her head knocked straight into Jody's, sending the both of them tumbling backwards, clutching their heads and pulling pained faces.

"Shit, fuck, shit, are you okay?" Gabriel gasped, breaking Donna's no cursing rule as he ran towards her. "Shit, that was my fault, here, do you have ice packs somewhere? Some kind of first aid kit?"

Jody was scowling, her head already sprouting a red lump as she stood up. "How was it your fault, kid? You weren't anywhere near us."

Gabriel realized he'd just dumped Donna in it and ruined all the subtlety of his most famous move. "I just meant, because I should have warned you, and-"

"Whatever. Can you sign for this quickly? I got a first aid kit in the truck. I can bring it in."

Gabriel scrawled a signature on the slip of paper on top of the box and watched Jody hobble out to the van. He sat down next to Donna and cradled her head in his hands, running a thumb over the place where she'd hit her head.

"I am so sorry," he whispered. "How you feeling?"

"Mostly embarrassed," she whispered back. "But, you know. I tried my best. I gave it a shot, and that's all we can ever do, right?"

\--

Friday morning came both too soon and not soon enough. On the one hand, Gabriel had no idea what to expect. He'd never been into a law firm before, or any kind of office in fact, and he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible so that he could stop freaking out about the horrors that the first day would bring, like a photocopier that ate people or an air conditioner that made his hair go frizzy. On the other hand, Gabriel had never exactly been the type of person to have a job and a boss and to do what he was told, so he was downright terrified, and would rather it just never happened at all.

But eventually, his alarm rang at the frankly unholy hour of five thirty AM on Friday morning, and Gabriel groaned as he forced himself out of bed, running his fingers through his hair and twisting it out of the braids he'd taken to sleeping in recently. He kept his eyes half closed and felt his way over to the shower, pulling a face at the window as he went. How dare it still be dark outside when he had to be awake and functional. If he was going to have to start getting up at this kind of time every day, he would have to invest in one of those coffee machines that brewed as he slept and worked to an alarm, so that he'd wake up to the smell of freshly made coffee. And it would have to be in a cup that he could take in the shower and drink. If that didn't exist yet, he would fucking pay somebody to make it for him so that he could have that.

He entertained himself with similar thoughts as he got dressed for his first day of being a real, official, legal lawyer. Legal lawyer sounded like a little bit of an unnecessary clarification, but it also sounded fancy, so Gabriel liked it. He slipped into his best little black dress and topped it with a dark green blazer - a splash of color, but understated - black suede heels, tights with a subtle flower pattern woven into them, and light gold jewellery as a finishing touch. He clipped his hair back in a half ponytail with a gold and pearl barrette at the back of his head, and kept his makeup light and subtle - just enough to make his face shine and to hide the dark shadows under his eyes.

He'd done his absolute best at looking like a legitimate lawyer, and that was all anybody could ask of him.

Gabriel breezed out of the door, briefcase in hand - and he'd stared at the pink sparkly ones for a really long time, wishing that he could treat himself to one of those, but eventually turning away and choosing a simple, smart black leather one. It looked good, but the outfit was far too dark for Gabriel's liking. Where was the glitter? Where were the pastels?

Nope, he reminded himself. Kali was going to use any excuse to remind him that he wasn't the serious one, that he didn't deserve to be there with the rest of them. And Gabriel couldn't allow that to happen.

He reached the firm offices at exactly five to nine, and when he reached Lucifer's boardroom, all the other interns were already there, steaming mugs of black coffee in front of them.

"Good morning, Mr Novak," Lucifer said, sliding a cup across to him too. "You're almost late. Another minute or two might have cost you this job. Have that in mind next time you come in, won't you?"

Gabriel nodded, shocked. He was on time, wasn't he? It was still before nine, why was he getting reprimanded? He stared down into the cup, the steam warming his face, still raw from the chilly air outside. "Do you, uh, can I have the cream and sugar?"

"Cream and sugar?" Lucifer asked, scowling at Gabriel. "You can drink your coffee black or you can get through sixteen hour days without caffeine. It's your call, but I'm not buying cream and sugar just for you, Mr Novak."

Gabriel stared down into his depressingly black, bitter looking coffee. He was going to have to bring a massive bottle of creamer with him, and maybe some of that glitter sugar stuff, else there was no way he was going to survive this. But for today, he'd manage to suffer. 

"That's the other thing. Can we, uh, can we maybe chill with the whole Mr Novak? I dunno, I used to be cool with it but it's been making me feel kind of weird lately. I'm not asking you to use anything fancy, but just Novak, or just Gabriel would be fine..." He trailed off as Lucifer's eyes started to burn in his head.

"You know I'm referring to you when I call you Mr Novak, right?"

Gabriel gave a tiny nod.

"Then that's all that matters. I'm not going to treat you like some kind of special snowflake, I'm going to call you what I've always called you."

Gabriel slumped back down into his chair, looking defeated. He certainly wasn't going to try to antagonize Lucifer any further on his first day.

Sam leaned forwards in his seat, speaking to Lucifer in a low voice. "Sir, if they'd be more comfortable being called-"

"Mr Winchester, I didn't ask for your opinion on this. This isn't a debate. Sit down, we have work to do."

Sam turned to pull a sympathetic face at Gabriel, indicating that he'd tried his best, and Gabriel offered him a grateful smile.

"Right," Lucifer stood up. "We don't have much time to waste. I wanted to get you all in earlier this week, but I couldn't figure it out with all your schedules. Now, we've got a big case that's just come in. It's a murder case, and a fairly high profile one at that."

Everyone straightened in their seats, not saying a word as they turned to look at Lucifer.

"A woman by the name of Anna Milton-"

Gabriel let out a tiny gasp, not loud enough for anyone to hear. Anna Milton? He knew that name. Lucifer didn't have to say anything else - even without hearing any details of the case, Gabriel already knew she was innocent. Murder? Anna was one of the sweetest girls he'd ever met, and there wasn't the slightest chance that she would do something like that.

But of course, they’d expect him to prove it.

Lucifer continued. "-she's a model and a fashion designer in Los Angeles, she's been accused of murdering her husband. She  _ says _ she came home one afternoon and found him already dead in the swimming pool in the backyard. Of course, it would have been easy for her to come home half an hour earlier, shoot him, sneak out the back and get cleaned up, and then pretend to come home again."

"Did anyone see her coming home the first time? Any witnesses who may have been looking out of their windows, seen her arrive earlier than she said, or maybe wearing different clothes?" Kali chimed in, leaning forward, clearly desperate to be the one to impress Lucifer and break open the case.

Lucifer didn't smile. This was different to class. Nobody was working for participation points here - they needed to win this case if it killed them. "No. Come on, Ms Tempest, don;t you think I would have opened with that if we had a lead like that? But we do know for a fact that Ms Milton left a modelling shoot just after three in the afternoon, and yet claims she did not arrive home until almost six thirty PM. The drive home would only have taken her twenty minutes, and coroners give her husband's time of death as anywhere between twelve and five PM, meaning that it's highly probable that she arrived home earlier to kill him, and left again before staging her grand entrance."

Gabriel coughed, trying to get Lucifer's attention.

"Um, sir?" he asked in a small voice.

"Did someone say something? Mr Novak? Speak up, boy."

Gabriel cringed a little, but ignored the words. "Anna Milton? I know her, she's a sister at Delta Nu. She'd never do anything like this. I don't know what she was doing in that extra time, but she must have some kind of alibi, she must do, there's literally thousands of places she could have been. I know that I sometimes go out shopping in the afternoons and I don't tell anyone where I'm-"

"Boy, if she was out shopping, why wouldn't she tell us where she'd been?" Lucifer cut him off, refusing to take any bullshit. "And you said she was a sister of a what now? Is that a new word for prostitute?" He banged his hand down on the table.

Gabriel shook his head, frowning. "No, sir. Delta Nu. It's a sorority at the University of Los Angeles. Just a place for girls to learn the bonds of sisterhood, and to do some good and give back to the community while also forming a network of lifelong-"

"Spare us the sales pitch. So are you telling me that you went to college with this woman?"

"Well, no. She was a few years ahead of me, so she'd already graduated, but she used to come back for events, so we met a few times."

Lucifer sighed, shaking his head. "I knew I made a mistake here..." he muttered under his breath, so quietly that Gabriel wasn't sure if he'd even heard right. "Are we going to have a conflict of interest? Because if so, I'm going to have to take you off the case."

Gabriel's eyebrows shot up. There was no way he could let that happen. Lucifer clearly thought Anna was guilty here! But Gabriel knew there wasn't a chance of that, and he had to prove it. The bonds of sisterhood commanded it. 

"No, sir! I promise you, there's no conflict, everything will be fine. Come on, I got up at five thirty in the morning for you, you can't take me off the case!"

Lucifer scoffed. "Boy, if you ever become a real lawyer, I can tell you you'll be getting up a hell of a lot earlier than that some days, if you even sleep at all."

Gabriel shivered in horror. Not getting a good night's rest cuddled up with Loki and at least four or twelve other stuffed animals sounded like his worst nightmare. But he'd deal with that when it happened. For now, he had to focus on Anna.

"So I can stay?" he checked, widening his eyes and fluttering his eyelashes.

Lucifer scowled. "Fine. But only because I want to get started, and it'd take more time than I'm willing to waste to get somebody to fill your spot. Now come on. We're all heading to the jail where Ms Milton is being held, we need to put on the pressure and get her alibi.”

 


	8. Bleeding Red, White and Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> did u know that popular restaurant chain "olive garden" was founded in florida in 1982

They had to turn over their purses before being let into the prison visitors' room. They walked through the metal detector, and some of the detailing on Gabriel's shoes set off the alarm, which meant he got a full pat down by a man who got a little too handsy with Gabriel. He ended up feeling kind of dirty and wrong by the time he actually walked through into a small, private room - which had no windows and was covered in dust, nothing but low, uncomfortable plastic orange chairs for all of them to sit on.

Gabriel perched on the very edge of a chair, scared to sit back much further - this was a nice outfit, and who knew what kind of bacteria could be on these? He straightened his back and tried to make himself look as tall as he could, since it was harder to fake his height when he was sitting down, and watched as two prison guards brought Anna Milton inside the room.

She looked terrible, and Gabriel's heart ached for her the second she sat down. She was dressed in bright orange prison scrubs, the exact same color as her hair, and they clashed horribly and completely washed her out. Her hair was greasy and lanky, the opposite of the bright, shiny, full bodied look she showed off in all of her photoshoots. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and clearly whatever terrible quality body wash they had in the showers here had started to make her face break out. Worst of all, her eyes looked dull and lifeless, as though she'd lost everything that she loved in the world. Which Gabriel didn't entirely blame her for - if he'd been in her situation, he'd have felt exactly the same way.

"What do you want this time?" she asked as she was forced down into her chair, her hands cuffed behind her back.

"Don't speak to me in that tone of voice. I'm trying to help you here," Lucifer pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I'm the one who's paying you, and I'm the one who's locked up here, so I'll talk to you in whatever tone of voice I want, thanks."

Gabriel felt a small burst of pride, and he wanted to applaud Anna. Delta Nu girls didn't take no shit, he reminded himself. It may not have been the official motto, but it was as good as, and here was Anna, sticking to it with pride even though she was in one of the worst situations of her life. See, this was why she was Gabriel's life inspiration.

Lucifer sighed, realizing he wasn't going to win this battle. "I'm here to get your alibi. I know you said you couldn't give it to us because it was a 'secret', but I'm afraid that's just not going to stand any longer. Your entire future is on the line here, don't you see that, Ms Milton? You are facing a life sentence in prison, and I don't know how I can make that any clearer to you than I already have. I have a job to do, and if you're not going to give me your alibi, I might as well just give up on your case now and focus on cases that I can actually win, because the evidence is stacked against you, and I'd just be wasting my time."

"No!" she gasped, her eyes desperate, trying to reach forward for him - the handcuffs clinked together, and Anna pulled a face. She was already skinny, and clearly only losing weight with whatever they were feeding her in here, and those cuffs must have been hell on her bony wrists. "Please, I'm telling you, I know they want to put me in prison but my life's going to be ruined either way! I can't tell you, I can't have this getting out. Please, you have to find some other way of proving I'm innocent."

Lucifer shook his head. "Yeah, that's not my job. If you've got an alibi, you have to tell me. Client confidentiality, it won't leave this room."

"Word will get out, somebody in the courtroom will hear, they'll make sure I never work again!" Anna pleaded.

Gabriel leaned forwards in his seat, cutting Lucifer off. "Anna, hey, it's okay. Listen to me, we're going to figure something out. Look, you're paying this dude enough, and you've clearly been through a lot. And you've done so much for the world of fashion that we owe you something. You're going to get the best defense possible, I'll make sure of it, okay?"

Anna turned to look at him in surprise, her eyes wide and grateful, trying to place where she knew him from. And then-

"Gabriel Novak?"

Gabriel grinned. "Yep, the very same."

Anna grinned back in bemused delight. "What are you doing here? Are you - you're not one of my lawyers, are you?"

"Yes I am!" Gabriel wanted so badly to give her a hug, but he'd been warned in advance that they weren't allowed to touch the inmates, so this was the best he could manage. “It's so great to see you again, I'm still the biggest fan of your work, and honestly I need to get you off these charges so that I can have you design my wedding dress someday, so, I've got an incentive here," he winked.

Anna blushed and shook her head. "I've never designed a wedding dress before, I don't know if I could-"

"Yes you could. You're Anna Milton and you can do anything, okay? And I don't need your alibi. I can do this. There'll be something else, and I'll find it. Do you trust me?"

"You're a Delta Nu. Of course I trust you, sweetie," Anna replied, and she really did look more relaxed now, smiling and leaning back into her chair.

\--

The second the group of them got outside, Lucifer rounded on Gabriel, crowding him into the wall and staring him down. "How dare you give my client false hope like that? That, right there, was the most unprofessional thing I've ever seen. I should fire you right now, on the spot. In fact, I think I will-"

"Please," Gabriel protested, shaking his head, trying to get out of the confined space that Lucifer had boxed him into. "Please, I was just trying to make her feel better. Can you imagine how scary this must be for her? She's all alone, nobody in this place knows her or understands her, most of them probably think she's guilty, people are talking about her in the media... it must be hell on Earth! She needs a little bit of support right now, she needs to believe that somebody's at least  _ trying  _ to help her!"

"Enough with your idealistic bullshit! I thought I'd have managed to squash that out of you by now... I was going to get her alibi, I was right on the point of dragging it out of her, when you had to just jump in there and ruin all my hard work!"

"There was no way you were going to get it!" Gabriel insisted. "I know Anna, and if she doesn't want to tell you something, then she’s not gonna."

"Yeah, that's what you think. I may not know Anna, but I know  _ clients _ , and I know the law, and that's a hell of a lot more than you do,  _ Mister  _ Novak."

The rest of the interns, plus Sam, were all standing around watching the proceedings, with various looks of horror on their faces, clearly desperate to know what was going to happen, but also slightly terrified that Lucifer was going to turn his anger on them.

"Get out. I don't want to see you in my offices again. And if I lose this case? Maybe I'll even have you prosecuted for corruption of justice. Now there's a case I know for sure I could win."

Gabriel was panicking, he was breathing far too fast, his head was spinning. This couldn't possibly be happening, there was no way, not when he'd worked so hard, not when he'd absolutely  _ promised _ Anna he'd be there for her. He couldn't break that sacred bond of sisterhood, he'd have to renounce his status as a Delta Nu because he'd be so ashamed of himself, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do, and-

"What if I got her alibi?" he burst out.

Lucifer froze. "What?"

"Give me some time. On Monday I'll come back here, just me, and I'll talk to her again. And I'll do everything I can to try and get her alibi. And if I manage it - if she gives it to me so we know for absolute definite that she's innocent - then I get to keep my placement. And if she doesn't, then I'll walk out and I won't complain and I'll never say another word about it again. How does that sound?"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, looking Gabriel up and down, thinking. 

Gabriel held his breath, waiting for the response.

"You make a hard bargain, Novak. But you've got yourself a deal. It's your last chance, though, so I'm telling you - you don't want to blow this one."

With that, he turned around and strode away from the building, beckoning for his cohort of interns to follow.

Gabriel skipped over to Sam, grinning and breathless. "He called me Novak!"

Sam grinned back and wrapped an arm protectively round Gabriel's shoulders. "Yeah, well, you impressed him. I'm not saying you should need to impress him for him to respect your basic identity. But you should still be proud of yourself. You're doing good, kid."

Gabriel glowed with pride.

\--

Gabriel spent the weekend working on a paper due in his first class on Monday. The moment he was done with that, he started reading up on Anna Milton's case, looking through media archives for anything relevant that he could possibly find. When he'd exhausted the depths of google search, he investigated her life in general, searching for details of her fashion lines, her modelling career, everything that went along with it.

The more he searched, the more he discovered, and he found, oddly enough, that there were absolutely no records of Anna Milton prior to the age of nineteen, when she’d started at the University of Los Angeles. No mentions of any awards she'd won while in high school or any old social media pages from a now-defunct websites, no embarrassing childhood pictures that anybody had dug up to shame her. When people asked about her childhood in interviews, she answered their questions, but kept things broad - yes, she's always had an interest in fashion, yes, she'd dressed up as a kid, yes, her parents had been supportive of her dreams even though they also thought wanted her to get an education so that she could go into another field if fashion didn't work out - but she never mentioned any specifics.

It was all very odd. And Gabriel understood - it wasn't like he, personally, loved the idea of people digging up old high school stuff on him, so if he ever got to be famous, he'd probably keep quiet about his past too. But still, it must have taken a lot of effort to clear every trace of the past from her google search results. 

And if the prosecution lawyers got their hands on that information, they'd use it as evidence - if she'd gone to such an extent to hide all details of her past, then what else could she be hiding? Clearly she was good at concealing things, which brought everything she said into question.

Gabriel had to get her alibi. He had to, even if it meant going back on what he'd promised Anna the other day.

Luckily, he knew that if anyone could convince her to tell them, it would be him.

On Monday, as soon as he'd escaped his first class and successfully turned in his paper, Gabriel drove over to the prison. He got a few strange looks as he got out of his car and skipped inside - he supposed most people who visited jail didn't have bright pink cars and show up in cute schoolgirl outfits. He kept the gift basket he'd made looped over his arm, ready for inspection. Anna might think Gabriel was just using it to sweeten her up, but that was okay. He'd rather that than her having to go any longer without some decent skincare products.

"Hi, I'm Gabriel Novak," he said in a shaky voice to the guard on duty. "I'm here to see Anna Milton, I'm one of her lawyers?"

The guard stared at him with suspicious eyes, and for a moment Gabriel was sure he was going to get turned away, that the guard would realize he was just a kid without any real formal training or qualifications, and that Gabriel would officially have lost his internship and all hope at helping Anna. But after pressing a few buttons on his computer, the guard nodded, waving Gabriel towards the security area.

"Gonna be about a half hour, she's at lunch right now. Someone will take you through to wait for her."

He was in.

Gabriel jiggled his leg as he waited in the booth for Anna. It looked like some kind of confessional - his dad had taken him to church when he was a kid to confess his sins, and it had been just like this. Gabriel had never quite taken it seriously. He distinctly remembered one time, where he'd said to the priest, "The other day, I travelled back in time so that I could save the dinosaurs. It caused an unstable time loop which led to the death of many important people in the Stone Age and started a series of events that ended with the election of Mussolini, so really, a lot of World War II was entirely my fault. I promise you I had good intentions, so would you please forgive me, Father?"

After that incident, his dad had stopped taking him. Those had been simpler times, times when Gabriel hadn't had to worry about anything besides what he was going to wear to school the following day. Which, yes, was a very big and important decision, but it didn't compare to having a person's entire future in his hands.

Finally, Anna was led into the booth and forced down into the chair on the other side. At least this time she was left uncuffed, so she could have a hand free to pick up the telephone - but the guard stood at the doorway on her side of the booth, his hand on his gun, ready to draw his weapon if Anna tried to make a break for it any time soon.

"Hi. I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Anna mumbled into the telephone receiver, her voice small and scared. Gabriel saw angry red marks around her wrist. Not all of them looked like they came from the cuffs.

"Yeah, well, I figured you could use some essentials. It seems like they're not giving you what you need in here." Gabriel held up the recycled wicker gift basket, a pale pink silk ribbon tied around the handle. "I made this myself! It's got everything you could possibly need, you’ve got shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, scented body lotion, a loofah, face cream, hand cream, foundation - I had to guess at your shade, but it should be better than nothing - powder, eyeliner, mascara, lipgloss, and a few candy bars because you deserve to treat yourself when you're in a place like this. I think that's most of it. I don't remember, I went a little crazy in Sephora picking things out," he grinned.

Anna gasped and looked at Gabriel like he was an actual angel who she planned to worship for the rest of her life. "Oh my gosh, I don't know how I can ever repay you. Thankyou so much, sweetheart, you are honestly saving my life here. A journalist came in the other day, and I don't even want to  _ think _ about what they're all saying in the newspapers about how I look right now..."

"It's really not that bad," Gabriel reassured her, but they both knew he was lying. "Anyway, don't thank me yet. Wait until your charges get dropped. Thank me then."

"Trust me, I'm taking you out for dinner in Hawaii when you get me off the charges. And that wedding dress? You're getting that for free."

Gabriel couldn't help the spark of excitement that caused. Hawaii with Anna Milton? That was literally a dream come true. He could only imagine what kind of reporters would be tracking her adventures in Hawaii... Gabriel was going to get his picture in all the big tabloids, for sure.

But, no. This wasn't about him. This was about Anna, and the fact that she deserved way, way better than what was happening to her.

"Listen," Gabriel began, looking through the bulletproof glass and giving Anna his best puppy eyes that he'd learned from Sam. "I, uh, I know I said the other day that we weren't going to need your alibi... but seriously, it would be by far the easiest way to figure this out. There's a chance we wouldn't even have to take it to court, you know, we could attempt to get things settled privately, and then people wouldn't find out... please. This is me. You know that no matter what it is, I'm not going to judge you."

Anna sighed, her face falling. "Yeah, I knew you coming back was too good to be true. And I know you're not going to judge me. But you're the only one. Everyone else... I don't think I'd trust anyone else at all to know this, except for the people I can’t avoid. It'll get out. Somehow. And I can't have that, I _ can't. _ "

Anna's face twisted desperately, and Gabriel's heart broke for her. He knew how it felt to have nothing, to be basically at rock bottom with no idea how to get up. And he was pretty sure that in that moment, he would have done anything he possibly could to help her. And yet, he knew that getting that alibi would be the only way for him to keep his job, and therefore the only way he'd be able to prepare her a real defense...

"Alright. Tell me. And I promise I won't tell anyone."

Anna scoffed. "I don't buy that. Why wouldn't you tell anyone? You probably have the rest of my lawyers out the back, just waiting for you to come back with the alibi... I love you, but it's too big of a risk."

Gabriel crossed his fingers and leaned forward, pressing them to the glass. "Swear on the sisterhood bonds of Delta Nu. I won't tell a soul. Just might help me prepare a better defense if I know exactly what we're dealing with here."

Anna bit her lip. They both knew that swearing on the sisterhood bonds was deadly serious, and that if Gabriel broke that, he'd basically be committing an act of treason.

Ever so slowly, Anna crossed her fingers too, and pressed her hand against the glass right next to Gabriel. Really, a sisterhood bond like this one was supposed to involve skin to skin contact, but they weren't allowed to do that right now, so this would have to make do.

Anna hid her face and kept one hand over the receiver, making sure that nobody around her would hear, as she whispered to Gabriel.

"I'm transgender. I was assigned male at birth, I got called a boy all through school, always knew it wasn’t true. My parents were... they were okay with it, they didn't love it, but it could have been a lot worse, I had it better than a lot of people. And they said they'd pay for the hormones and the surgery and everything, but only if I still wanted it when I turned eighteen. I did, of course - well, you can imagine, I wanted it more and more each year, as... stuff... started to change. I was miserable all through high school, the few people I told turned against me... anyway, that's not important.”

Anna took a deep, shuddering breath, keeping her eyes closed as she went on. “The point is, when I turned eighteen, I started taking hormones, and then I got surgery. I deferred my college application for a year so that when I started I’d already be able to pass. I had my gender and my name legally changed, and when I got to college nobody knew my past, and nobody ever thought to call me anything other than a girl. And it was... amazing, actually. I felt completely free, for the first time in my life, and even though at first I'd planned on being open with my friends about the whole thing... I never really did. I got caught up in this whole thing of not telling anyone, and then I started getting some modelling jobs, I started to get well known, and I was having so much fun with that, I didn't dare say anything that might mess that up.”

Her face twisted as though she thought just saying the words out loud could ruin everything for her. “And now it's been years, and... God, Gabriel, can you even imagine? If the press got hold of this? I know you understand what I'm talking about here... the headlines they'd write, the things they'd say about me, I don't even want to think about it. I'd never work another modelling job again, I'd be lucky to get a job in a circus, I know the world's getting more progressive and I'm grateful for that every day, and I wish I could be like you, and be open about all of this. But modelling... it's all about sex appeal, and I'm not dumb enough to think that there aren't guys who jerk off to the pictures of me in underwear catalogues every single day of their lives. And that wouldn't happen if they thought they were jerking off to someone they saw as... you know."

Gabriel stared at Anna through her entire speech, his eyes welling up with tears of sympathy. If she hadn't already been his role model before that exact moment, then fuck, she definitely would have become that now. 

"Anna, I..." he whispered, once she was done, shaking his head.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I don’t need… I guess it’s greedy to ask for more, I've already had... so many good things in my life. Anyway, that's what I was doing the day of the murder. I had an appointment with my hormone doctor. Just a regular checkup, but the clinic's known for... I can't have anyone knowing I was there. So that's why I don't want anyone to know my alibi.”

She shrugged, giving him a sad, desperate smile. “But if that's what it takes, if you have to tell the rest of the lawyers so I can get off... then so be it. Because I’m getting older and my career's not going to last anyway, and maybe I should just be grateful for what I've had, rather than trying to drag things out any longer."

"No," Gabriel growled, impassioned. "No  _ fucking _ way. Don't you dare say that. Don't ever give up. You and me, we're going to get you through this, okay?"

"No, sweetheart, it's fine. I get it if you’re judging me right now, because you've got the confidence to speak out about this kind of stuff, and I don't..."

"Anna." Gabriel held up a hand. "You are one of the bravest, strongest women that I have ever met, and I have looked up to you since the first time I saw your picture in People magazine advertising Fleur de Pomme by Elle Woods. I bought that perfume, just because of you, it was my signature scent for years! I admire you so much, you have changed the fashion industry, and the fact that you don't want to talk about this one thing does not make me think any less of you. So please, shut the fuck up and let me figure out how I'm going to defend you. Because we can do this. You just have to believe in me, okay?"

Anna gave him a weak smile, even while she had tears running down her cheeks. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. If I could believe in anyone, it'd be you."

"Good," Gabriel smiled, satisfied. "Now, I'm going to give this basket to the guard, and he'll check everything for drugs or whatever he does - as if I would ruin perfectly good hand cream by putting cocaine in it - and then he'll give it to you. I gotta go back to work, but I promise you, I won't tell a soul. And I'll be back in a couple weeks with some more supplies for you. How does that sound?"

Anna managed a bigger smile this time, making a heart symbol with her hands. "That sounds wonderful. Where the hell would I be without you?"

"Yeah, likewise. Sisters stick together, remember?"

Anna nodded. "I'm so glad you're my lawyer, Gabriel."

"I'm glad I am too."

 


	9. Scattering Blonde Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> castiel and loki are my brotp

Gabriel breezed into the law offices at nine o'clock sharp on Tuesday morning, smirking like he knew something the others didn't. Which, as it happened, he did.

Lucifer frowned at him as he came in. "Mr Novak. What are you doing here?"

"Didn't pour me a cup of coffee? How presumptuous. You just assumed I wasn't going to get her alibi, did you?"

Lucifer didn't reply, his mouth thinning into a tight line.

"Well, you were wrong, so you can pour me a cup right now! I got the alibi, and let me tell you, it gets her off all the charges. I'm going to check it out later today, of course, as soon as we're done here. But I don't see why she'd lie about this, so it’s really just a formality."

Gabriel sat down in a chair, draping himself over it and pulling out a notebook, giving Lucifer a satisfied smile.

Lucifer did not pour him a coffee. He just stared at Gabriel expectantly. "Alright, so what is it?"

"What's what?"

"Her alibi, Mr Novak, you imbecile! You said you got it from her, so tell us what it is!"

"Don't call me an imbecile, I'm an employee here and I could report you to human resources for harassment," Gabriel countered, folding his arms. Taking no shit. "And I'm not telling you what the alibi is."

Lucifer forced himself to take a deep breath, looking furious. "I'm sorry I called you an imbecile, Novak. Now. Ms Milton's alibi."

Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not keeping it a secret because you called me an imbecile. I'm keeping it a secret because Anna and I made a bond of sisterhood where I promised I would never tell another soul what she was doing that afternoon for as long as I lived. And I can't break that. That's worse than breaking the law, you know."

Lucifer shook his head in frustration. "No, it isn't."

"Well, you wouldn't know. You've never been in a sorority."

"Get out," Lucifer replied. "I don't want to deal with this right now. You can either tell me the alibi, or you can get out."

Gabriel turned to make eye contact with Sam. The corner of Sam's mouth quirked. He knew exactly where Gabriel was going with this.

"No," Gabriel said, very calmly, looking Lucifer dead in his pale blue eyes.

"I'm sorry?"

"Those weren't your terms, sir. We agreed that if I could get the alibi from Anna, I could keep my position here. You never specified that I would have to, in fact, tell you what the alibi is. And while I'm aware that I can't necessarily prove that I have this knowledge, I'm sure that if you were to talk to Anna, she would confirm that she did in fact tell me where she was that afternoon. Which means I would have a witness to the event, and precisely no evidence to the contrary. Legally, you have no basis to fire me from my position, and I'll be sure to let everyone know you dismissed me without cause and went back on a binding verbal contract, if you refuse to let me finish my work on this case."

Lucifer stared at him in shock, his mouth hanging open, and Gabriel was fairly sure he'd never felt better in his life. Not when he'd told Kali where she could stick it. Not the day he'd got his acceptance letter into law school. Not even the night he'd been getting ready to propose, before any of this mess had started.

This was, without exception, the best day of his entire life. He'd just outsmarted a law professor. Him. Gabriel Novak.

"Fine," Lucifer growled. "But I'm still holding you responsible if this case goes south."

Gabriel shrugged. "Trust me, I'll hold myself responsible too. You can't think any worse of me than I will of myself."

Lucifer shook his head, clearly unable to believe any of this was actually happening to him. "Right. Get to work, then, Novak. You weren't here yesterday, so you've got some lost time to make up for."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Before I get started, how about that coffee?"

Lucifer looked like he was about to spontaneously combust.

\--

"Hey!" Sam grinned, jogging over to Gabriel once they'd been dismissed for their lunch break.

"Hey," Gabriel said in a small but pleased voice, looking up at Sam through his eyelashes.

"So that was seriously cool how you stood up to Lucifer like that. Seriously. I've never seen anyone do that before. Like, I want to tell the entire school about it. You'll be a legend."

Gabriel shrugged. "Everyone already knows who I am. Besides, wouldn't that be a crime, discussing details of a case that hasn't yet gone to trial?"

Sam gave Gabriel a light slap on the shoulder. "Alright, my little famous lawyer, it would be. I was just saying, you did good. Trying to give you a compliment?"

Gabriel ducked his head and grinned. "Yeah. Thanks, Sam. I, uh, I'm actually gonna go check out her alibi right now, just to cover my bases. Do you wanna come with me?"

Sam blinked in surprise. "Me? Wouldn't that mean you'd have to tell me the alibi? I thought there was a, a bond of sisterhood or something..."

"Yeah, there is. But you're an exception. Think I can trust you not to tell anybody."

"Of course you can," Sam replied immediately. "I'll never tell a soul. Just didn’t expect you to  see me as... special enough for that, I guess."

"Alright, stop digging for compliments. I think you're special and that's all you're getting out of me," Gabriel huffed, sticking his nose in the air and bouncing towards the elevator. "Now, are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, I'm coming..." Sam laughed, following Gabriel down to the first floor, out into the parking lot and over to Gabriel's car.

"This one's mine," Gabriel said, pointing at his car - except for the fact that Sam was already standing right there, so really, he was kind of pointing at Sam.

"Yeah, no shit. I think I could have recognized your car a mile off. It's the only one I can see that isn't black."

"Well, black cars are depressing, and the world is already a depressing enough place without having to put terrible boring colors like black in there too, you know what I mean?"

"I mean, my car's blue," Sam offered. "If that helps at all."

"It's an improvement. But next time you should really go for an orange or a lime green or something that'll really make people smile."

"Oh, I've got plenty of ways I can make people smile," Sam winked, fishing a handful of candy out of his pocket. "You seem like a Milky Way kind of person, am I right?"

Gabriel banged his head on the steering wheel in defeat, because of course Sam was right on both counts - Milky Way was Gabriel’s favorite, and yes, Sam had successfully managed to make him smile.

"So, where are we headed?" Sam asked when he'd finished chomping his way through a Twix.

"It's a clinic. Turns out, Anna had a doctor's appointment on the day of the murder, between the modelling shoot and her getting home. I checked out the times - if the doctors can confirm that she arrived on time for her four o'clock appointment and stayed for about an hour, then there's no way she can have committed the murder, and she's in the clear. Course, it's just a formality, because I know she'd never do anything like that anyway. But for those people who need to have a little bit more faith... you and me are going to find out for sure."

"A doctor's appointment?" Sam confirmed, a little half smile on his face at the idea of being a team with Gabriel. "Why couldn't she tell anyone about that? What, was it plastic surgery or something?"

Gabriel laughed and shook his head. "Nah, she'd want to cover that up but it wouldn't be, like, career ending. Lots of models have plastic surgery. Not a big deal." He waved a hand. "You promise you'll never tell a soul?"

"If it would make you feel better, I'll even make one of those bonds of sisterhood with you. Am I allowed to do that? Even though I'm not a Delta Nu?"

Gabriel blushed. Sam knew the name of his sorority? Gabriel hadn't ever expected him to care enough to remember little details like that. 

"Um, uh..." he started, distracted for a moment from everything else Sam had been saying. "No, you can still do it. I mean, you can be like an honorary Delta Nu. If that's okay with you, that is."

Sam's smile split his face wide open, and sun shone through the gap. "Yeah, that's better than okay. I'd love to be an honorary Delta Nu."

"Okay, great!" Gabriel smiled back. "So here's what you do... cross your fingers, like your first finger over your middle finger, and hold up your hand, palm flat. And then I'm gonna do the same, and we'll press our hands together, and I'll tell you, and then that's the sacred bond of sisterhood that you can never break as long as you live, understand?"

Sam nodded, and he seemed to genuinely be taking this seriously. Not like Kali, who had always just laughed in Gabriel's face when he mentioned anything to do with sisterhood. Not that Gabriel was comparing the two of them, of course...

Both of them held up their hands, fingers crossed, and pressed them together. Gabriel took a deep breath.

"Anna's transgender. She had surgery and changed her name when she was eighteen, and she's never told anyone in the industry about it. I mean, I don't blame her. You think lawyers are a backwards profession, wait til you see models, the way some of them are treated... anyway, the point is, she had a checkup the other day just to make sure all her hormones are still in balance and there's no problems with anything. Which is good, and I'm proud of her for taking care of her health and making herself a priority. But it does mean that she can't actually get the doctor to come into court and testify as a witness or anything, because they'd be investigated, obviously, and within a few hours everyone would know what that doctor is best known for doing. They'd know about Anna and her career would be over."

Sam blew out a low whistle. "Shit. That's some pretty serious business."

"Well, yeah. It'd have to be serious, considering this is a murder trial we're talking about."

"Fair point. Okay. Well, I get why she told you, and I get why she's not telling anyone else. Still doesn't exactly make our job any easier, since we have to figure out a whole other defense strategy still."

"We will," Gabriel promised, swinging the car onto the highway and picking up speed, tipping his head back and smiling as they drove towards the sun. "We will, and our defense will be so kickass that it'll win this case without the judge even considering what we’re wrong.”

Sam chuckled. "I wish I had your confidence."

"I wish I had your... whatever quality of yours it is that makes everyone see you as a serious person who's genuinely gonna achieve stuff in life."

Sam leaned over and put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I guess that's why we gotta stick together, then, isn't it? Between the two of us, we have everything."

\--

At first, Gabriel had absolutely no idea how he was going to juggle his schoolwork with preparing for the trial - not when schoolwork had already done such a good job of getting on top of him. But, as surprising as it was, he managed to fall into a rhythm. With the arrival of his new treadmill, Gabriel could work out at the same time as reviewing case notes. He could study while he waited for his lunch to cook. He could get everything done at once and even manage to get to bed at a reasonable hour and get a solid seven hours of beauty sleep, almost every night.

Suck it, Lucifer.

It felt like almost no time at all before it was the night before the trial was due to start. Gabriel supposed that because he was so busy all the time, he just didn't have a chance to spend any afternoons lazing around and wondering about the passage of time. And things were going well - Gabriel knew more about the life of Anna Milton than he'd ever expected to, and that was saying something. He could explain, in depth, the exact charges she was being faces with and the consequences being found guilty would cause, he could inform a person of the exact movements that Anna, her husband and all related witnesses had made on the day of the murder, and he could recite almost word for word what the forensics report had said about the gun used to shoot Anna's husband.

But despite all that, Gabriel was no closer to finding that one fact, that one flaw in somebody's testimony that would break the case wide open.

It wasn't as though they didn't stand a chance. All they had to do was cast enough doubt on the idea that Anna committed the murder to make the jury realize that they couldn't be completely sure one way or the other - and Gabriel knew that could well be possible when Lucifer started cross examining some of the other witnesses. But he couldn't be absolutely sure, and that was what got him. Tensions were running high, nobody in the office felt confident about the case, and all of them except for Sam had taken to snapping at Gabriel when he spoke up within the group, knowing as they did that it was entirely his fault that they didn't have Anna's alibi. 

Sam had started giving people rude looks whenever he caught people doing that. When Gabriel called him out on it, telling Sam he shouldn't jeopardize his own position in the group just to defend Gabriel's, Sam agreed, and promised that he would start spitting in everybody else’s coffee instead.

So Gabriel had taken to working on the case at home whenever possible, which is why he was lying on his bed the night before he was due in court, poring over Anna's witness statement for what felt like the four hundred and seventy-seventh time, trying to find just one word out of place, some tiny detail that he hadn't caught yet.

There was none.

Gabriel let out a loud, ugly groan and flopped back on the bed, and it was at that precise moment that there was a knock on his door.

Covering his mouth in shame, Gabriel scrambled upright and jogged over to the doore opened it to find Castiel on the other side, and it might have been the first time Gabriel had ever seen him out of a suit. Today, he was wearing a blue sweater vest over a white button down shirt and jeans, which for him was positively beach attire.

"Hello, Gabriel. I was wondering if you were finished with Ms Milton's statement? I'd like to take a look at it again before the morning, if that's possible."

"What? Oh, yeah." Gabriel rubbed his eyes, doing his very best to avoid smearing his mascara, grabbing the statement off the bed. "Have at it. I've been staring at it for hours trying to find something written in invisible ink or some shit, but... no, I really think this is all there is."

Castiel chuckled. "Invisible ink, huh? That's your new defense angle?"

"Yeah, it was worth a shot. Only went over it with an ultraviolet light a couple of times."

Gabriel knew he was supposed to hate Castiel, but right now, hating him was so exhausting, and he had so many better things on his mind. Hating people wasn't fun. Hating Kali was kind of fun, because she'd ripped out his heart and the petty part of Gabriel wanted to do the same in return, but Castiel... Castiel had really done nothing wrong besides dating someone who Gabriel wanted for himself. 

That was kind of a dumb reason to hate somebody. It wasn't like Gabriel hated the people who were married to his favorite celebrities.

"You know, Kali misses you," Castiel blurted out, all of a sudden. "She talks about you often, and though she attempts to insult you... it iss clear to me that she would not waste so much time thinking about you if she did not miss you. I don't blame her. You are very unique, and I imagine you'd be difficult to replace."

Gabriel didn't really know what to say to that. "Well, thanks, I guess."

"I'm sorry, I just thought you deserved to know. I didn't want you to spend time thinking that you never meant anything to her, because I know that's how she tries to act."

Gabriel sighed, and managed a small, tired smile. "Yeah, but I'm used to it. She kind of treats everyone that way."

"I know. It bothers me often. I love her, but I don't like the way she thinks of herself as superior to everyone else in the world. I think that all humans are important, and worth something, and have their own merits, whereas Kali looks for the bad in people and simply tries to find ways she can take other people down. It's infuriating. I've tried to talk to her about it..."

"I know, right?" Gabriel gasped, getting animated now. "When she and I were together I had to put a ban on her coming into the sorority house, because one time she teased my friend Meg about her weight and made her cry. And Meg's gorgeous and she rocks her figure and she doesn't need to lose a pound, but she ate nothing but celery for a week after that, and I wanted to keep the house a safe space, so I had to get Kali out of there. Like, that's not right, is it?"

Castiel shook his head. "Absolutely not, but I completely understand. I worry about taking her on dates where we have a chance of running into any young people, because of the time a child knocked into her while walking through the shopping mall and she grabbed them and yelled at them until they looked like they were going to have nightmares about her. I'm not sure I would ever trust her to have children of her own."

Gabriel pulled a face. "Oh my God, can you imagine? Her kids would ask for an extra half hour before they went to bed and she'd go on a rant about how they should be grateful she even gives them a bed in the first place. Never mind the fact that she has enough money to buy everyone she knows about ten beds and still be able to get all those expensive haircuts."

"Precisely," Castiel chuckled, leaning against the doorframe - looking almost casual and relaxed, more so than Gabriel had ever seen him. "The woman simply has no respect for other people, and she only sees in them what they can do for her. The other morning we were lying in bed and I offered to get up and make her some breakfast. She told me that I had to put the laundry in the machine while I was at it."

Gabriel snorted. "I hate how relatable that is. I remember she used to make me do her makeup every morning because she was too lazy to do it herself, and she'd just sit there catching up on her Twitter feed while I made her look beautiful. And I love doing makeup so it wasn't like I was miserable or anything, but it's the principle of the thing, right?"

"Well, one thing is for sure, she'll be quite a lawyer. Not least because she will terrify the opposition into backing down," Castiel pointed out.

They both pulled faces, neither of them entirely sure that was a good thing.

Gabriel yawned, getting tired of standing up. But in a strange turn of events, he found that he actually didn't want to stop talking to Castiel right now. He was kind of enjoying himself, trading stories about Kali back and forth, finally being able to complain about all the terrible stuff she used to do rather than keeping up appearances and telling everyone she was the perfect girlfriend.

He stepped backwards and gestured Castiel inside. "Do you wanna come in for a bit? We can go over our case notes one last time before the trial, if you like."

Castiel looked surprised but pleased, and nodded, stepping inside. He took one of the bright pink beanbag chairs that Gabriel was indicating, trying to figure out how to sit in it while keeping his perfect posture.

"Nah, you gotta flop," Gabriel instructed him. "Here. Let me demonstrate."

He stood in front of the chair and let himself fall backwards, tumbling into it and letting the chair mold to his body, leaning back and relaxing, closing his eyes in contentment.

Castiel frowned, but stood up, mimicking Gabriel. He fell slightly ungracefully and let out a little grunt as his body hit the chair, looking down at himself in surprise. "What is this?"

Gabriel snorted. "It's a beanbag chair. They're like, the best invention since push up bras. Comfortable, right?"

Castiel gave the chair a few tentative pokes, still looking confused. "Yes, I suppose it is."

At that moment Loki came bounding up, eager to meet the new visitor, yapping and pawing at Castiel's legs. Castiel smiled, immediately leaning down to scoop the puppy into his arms, petting him gently.

"That's Loki!" Gabriel grinned, excited. "He must like you. He doesn't usually let new people hold him!"

"Really?" Castiel raised an eyebrow. "Well, I am pleased to hear that you haven't been badmouthing me to Loki too much, especially as I rather like him, too."

Gabriel shook his head. "No, badmouthing people isn't really my style. Besides, I usually trust Loki to make his own decisions about people. He's a pretty sensible dog, he's never been seriously wrong about anyone yet. So... I guess that means I kinda like you too, now," Gabriel finished in a whisper.

Castiel smiled. "I am very pleased to hear that. I never wanted to fight with you, and I understand I may have handled our first few meetings badly. I think everyone was feeling overwhelmed with the start of school, and with the three of us not expecting to all be in such close proximity. We may have all made some bad decisions."

Gabriel nodded and hesitated for a few moments before asking, "So... those Christmas drinks you asked me to go to with you? That was a serious offer? You weren't just going to mess with me again?"

"No, I wasn't. I really was intending to take you out for a drink. Not that I blame you in the slightest for assuming otherwise."

"Well... maybe when the trial's over, we can have another go, yeah? Just you and me, celebrating our win."

"Or commiserating our loss," Castiel pointed out, fairly.

"No, cause we win either way. We got some great experience out of this that loads of people here would kill to have. Better to try our hands at a serious case and lose than stay in the classroom all the time never doing anything except studying, right? We're never going to change anything if we don't get out there and at least try to make a difference."

Castiel squinted and tilted his head, looking at Gabriel almost as though he was seeing him in an entirely new light. "That's actually a rather wonderful way of looking at it."

 


	10. Aiming for Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fuck lucifer in the ass with a rusty chainsaw amirite????

Gabriel woke up the following morning, his back aching for reasons he couldn't figure out. A few moments of wriggling around and stretching told him that he was on the floor.

"Why am I on the floor?" he mumbled to himself, curling up in an even tighter ball. Not getting up quite yet was worth the pain he was in.

"Last night, we got very tired and you refused to let me go home even though I live on the floor above you. You insisted I take the bed and said you were going to sleep on the floor, and that you would make the sacrifice for the sake of our new friendship," Castiel explained in a raspy morning voice, from where he was sitting up on the bed, flipping through his case notes.

Gabriel groaned. "Fuck, and I wasn't even drunk..."

"I would hope not. We do, in fact, have to be in court in three hours."

"Are you sure?" Gabriel mumbled. "Can't we call in sick, or at least, like, postpone for a few hours while we get some more sleep?"

Castiel chuckled. "No, Gabriel, I am not sure that is how being a lawyer works. However, you are welcome to nap when we break for lunch, and I will of course ensure that you wake up on time."

"Fine. I'm holding you to that, though, don't think I won't!" Gabriel wagged a finger at Castiel and dragged himself and his blankets to his feet, stumbling towards the bathroom.

Not three hours later, Gabriel and the rest of the team were filing into the courtroom, ready to take on their case. Gabriel had outdone himself with how much boring black he was wearing - he had on a simple black skirt suit and a plain white button down shirt with thin blue lines stitched onto it, that just matched his soft powder blue eyeshadow and blue earrings. Aside from those tiny pops of color, his outfit was entirely black and white, and that was the best he could do at looking like a professional. Nobody could expect any more from him than that. When he was sitting down and the skirt and heels were invisible, he almost, almost looked like a normal lawyer.

"Are you ready?" Sam whispered, bumping his elbow against Gabriel's shoulder as they made their way into the courtroom.

Gabriel shook his head. "Not in the slightest." 

"Good. I felt exactly the same way before my first trial. It's fine to be nervous, you're going to kill it out there. You don't even have to say anything if you don't want to - Lucifer and I will take the lead, and it's likely you won't be asked more than a couple of questions. Which you will answer perfectly. Okay?"

"I don't need pep talks, I'll be fine," Gabriel mumbled, leaning into Sam and nuzzling the sleeve of his jacket for a moment, trying to act brave even though he knew he was totally lying. 

He liked how warm Sam was, and he thought he might feel a lot more confident about today if Sam could maybe have his arm round him during the whole trial. How could he maybe subtly suggest that to Sam without being weird?

Sam, of course, did not end up with his arm around Gabriel, but he was sitting next to Gabriel, and their legs brushed against each other every so often. And that was almost as good, so Gabriel wasn't going to complain. Even if the sparks shooting up his leg were a little distracting when he was trying to focus and take notes on everything the judge was saying.

"I would now like to call the first witness to the stand. Alfie Godson, employee of the Milton family, please step forward."

A tiny boy who couldn't have been much older than eighteen or nineteen stood up, visibly shaking, and walked forwards to the microphone. He looked up at the judge with wide eyes. He kind of reminded Gabriel of a slightly younger version of himself, and Gabriel's heart already went out to him.

"State your name for the record, please."

"Alfie Godson," the boy replied in a tiny squeak.

"Mr Godson, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

Alfie nodded. "I do."

"Then please describe your connection with the Milton family. What was your role in their household?"

Alfie took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if to block out the audience in front of him. "The Miltons hired me to clean their pool. I clean pools to make some extra money in the summer to help me pay for college. Chuck Milton paid me well and was always kind to me, but usually left me to do my job without interfering. Anna Milton... sometimes she would stay outside with me and talk to me while I worked. Sometimes she would be there wearing a bikini, sunbathing, always coming out whenever I happened to be there, even though I didn't have a specific time every week. Over time she and I started having an affair. At first it was just about the sex-" Alfie's cheeks turned bright red when he said the word 'sex', but he continued all the same- "but then there started to be feelings there, too. She told me she was going to divorce Chuck so that she could be with me, she said that she didn't really love him. I thought she was just going to tell him she didn't want to be with him anymore, I swear, I had no idea she was going to do anything like this! But maybe they started fighting, and maybe he refused to let her leave, maybe he threatened me. I haven't been allowed to talk to Anna since this happened, but I know her, I know she wouldn't have done this without a good reason! It must have been in self defense, maybe her husband was threatening her or-"

"Objection!" Lucifer stood up, addressing the judge. "Speculation, no basis for that theory."

The judge nodded. "Sustained. Mr Godson, how do you explain the fact that there was no weapon at the scene of the crime besides the gun that was used to kill Mr Milton?"

"Maybe he was the one with the gun, and she took it from him!" Alfie suggested.

"There was no evidence of a struggle, and if she were able to overpower him enough to obtain his gun, then there would be no need for her to shoot her husband, certainly not to kill him," the judge dismissed.

"Then she took the other weapon away! She got rid of it before she called the police!"

"Mr Godson, why would Mrs Milton remove a crucial piece of evidence that could be integral to dismissing or at least reducing the charges against her?"

Alfie thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't know, Your Honor."

"Then I would like to ask you to stop suggesting possible explanations that have absolutely no basis beyond your own heavily biased imagination, and stick to the facts, please, Mr Godson."

"Sorry, Your Honor."

"If that is all you have to say, then you may step down, and we will take a twenty minute break before proceeding with the case."

Alfie turned around and ran out of the room as fast as possible, and Gabriel turned round, watching him leave, trying to make out which direction he turned. He wanted to talk to the kid - it wasn't necessarily allowed, but Gabriel didn't entirely care.

The jury were dismissed first, and then the rest of the room were permitted to rise and take their break. Gabriel darted down the hall, following the path he'd seen Alfie disappear down, and ran into him by the water fountain, where there was already a long line of people waiting to grab a drink. Alfie was at the front, and Gabriel had no way of getting to him without attracting the attention of everyone else and making it seem like he was cutting in line.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and sighed, disappointed, deciding to join the back of the line all the same.

To his surprise, once Alfie was done drinking, he looked around, caught Gabriel's eye and then jogged over to him, smiling and looking a lot more relaxed than he had done while on the stand. He stood close to Gabriel and put a hand on his arm, smiling up at him.

"Hi. I, uh, I saw you while I was on the stand. You're one of Ms Milton's lawyers, aren't you?"

Gabriel frowned. It didn't make sense for Alfie to be referring to someone he was sleeping with as 'Ms Milton'. That was way too formal. Maybe Alfie was into that, and Gabriel certainly wasn't going to judge him for it. But still, it was suspicious.

"Yeah, that's right. You did really good up there, by the way," Gabriel reassured him. "I know it's scary, hell, I'm absolutely terrified and I haven't even had to say anything yet. But you did everything you needed to."

Alfie shifted even closer and trailed his fingers down Gabriel's arm. "Thankyou. That means a lot, especially coming from you."

Gabriel frowned, looking down at Alfie's fingers. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Alfie was trying to flirt with him...

Gabriel winked and bent a little closer to Alfie, deciding to test his theory. "Well, I am a lawyer, so of course I know what I'm talking about. And let me tell you, you have a natural talent."

Alfie giggled and blushed. "You really think so?" he asked in a breathy voice.

"I know so, sweetheart. Probably have a natural talent for plenty of other things, too." Gabriel would never usually have been quite so obvious, but he had a point to prove to himself here.

"Maybe after the trial's over you'll let me show you some of those things? You can show me some things, too," Alfie said with wide eyes, and Gabriel recognized all the moves, all the false innocence and trying to make the other person feel strong and important, because he’d done exactly the same thing with everyone he'd ever flirted with. Yeah, this guy was definitely into him. 

And so soon after the woman he claimed to love had been accused of a murder... 

Gabriel would have thought that if they'd been serious enough that Anna was planning on leaving her husband for Alfie, he'd still be holding out for her getting off her charges so that they could be together, not running off and trying to get a date with somebody else.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow and gave Alfie a knowing smile. "I think it would be more than my job's worth to agree to that, and I think we have to get back in there now. But all I'm saying is that my business card has my phone number on it..."

Gabriel pulled out one of Lucifer's business cards and handed it to Alfie face down. If Alfie really did call the number and try to get a date with Gabriel, he'd end up speaking to Lucifer's secretary and then Gabriel would probably get yelled at, but that was a problem for future him. Right now, he had some far more important things to deal with.

He dashed back into the courtroom, his heels going click-click-click on the shiny floor but never once losing his balance, and, breathless, he tapped Lucifer on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Sir, would it be okay if we call Alfie back to the stand so that I can cross examine him?"

Lucifer frowned. "You've never cross examined a witness in your life. You have no idea what you're doing. Can't you just sit there and smile and be happy you're getting this experience?"

"Please? I don't think he was sleeping with Anna. And if I can prove that, which I think I can, then it calls into question everything he's said! And that means the jury will realize that it might not have been Anna who killed her husband at all!"

Lucifer sighed, shaking his head. "You're right that it would be useful to call his testimony into question, but how can you possibly prove that he wasn't sleeping with Ms Milton? I don't see that there can be evidence for that."

"You'll see. Please just give me a chance. Please. If I fuck this up, you can kick me off the case and I won't come back."

Gabriel knew he was basically bargaining with his life again, but he didn't know what other choice he had. After all, it had always worked out for him before...

"Fine. You've got one chance. I've already given you far too many, I don't know what I'm doing here..."

Gabriel beamed. "You are not going to regret this, Sir."

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "I'd better not."

The judge took her podium again, calling for everyone to take their seats, and then Lucifer stood up. "Permission to cross examine the witness, Your Honor."

"Alfie Godson? Please take the stand for cross examination," the judge declared. "I first call the prosecution to question the witness..."

Gabriel vaguely heard the prosecution lawyers ask a few questions, basically trying to figure out for sure if Alfie had any kind of evidence to suggest that Anna may have acted in self defense, obviously trying to demonize her as much as possible for being the kind of woman who threw away everything her rich husband had given her and slept with someone else behind his back. Gabriel rolled his eyes. He already saw shit like this every day when he went on the Internet, he didn't need to listen to it in a courtroom too, and besides, he had a defense to prepare.

Finally, the prosecution finished, and the judge called on the defense to perform their own cross examination. Lucifer gestured to Gabriel to stand up, clearly not wanting any part of this.

Gabriel could feel his knees knocking together as he got to his feet, biting his lip and trying not to meet Alfie's eyes - he could already picture the hurt and betrayal that was sure to be in them. And Gabriel wanted to protect him, he did. But the worst that Alfie was going to be charged with was obstruction of justice for lying in court. In fact, if he played it right with his big blue eyes like he'd already shown himself capable of, he could probably make it seem like he'd just been a scared kid and get off with community service. Anna was facing a murder charge, and she was the one Gabriel had to protect, even though he hated the idea of hurting anybody else to do it.

"Mr Godson," he began, his voice squeaking and cracking.

Gabriel cleared his throat and tried again. "Mr Godson. How many people have you dated?"

A prosecution lawyer stood up and banged his hand on the table. "Objection! Irrelevant!"

Gabriel held his breath, panicking for a moment. He had an angle here, he hadn't even been given a chance to make his point!

"Overruled."

He blew out his breath, still shaking, but not as badly.

Alfie frowned, but counted on his fingers for a moment, and then declared, "Five."

"And is that including or with the exception of Ms Milton?"

"Including," Alfie nodded, sticking to his story. "She was the fifth, we never actually put a label on it, but considering she was going to leave Chuck, I think it's okay for me to say we were dating..."

"Of course," Gabriel nodded, smiling, trying to seem sympathetic even while he was making a very important point here.

"In that case, Mr Godson, did you and Ms Milton ever go on any dates, besides sleeping together while you cleaned her pool?"

Alfie nodded, immediately. "Yes."

"Where? Surely she would have been recognized if you were to-"

"Objection! Leading question," the prosecutor barked, and the judge nodded.

"Sustained."

Gabriel screwed his eyes shut as he took a deep breath. He'd got too excited there, and he needed to play this just right, he was almost there. "My apologies. Mr Godson, could you give some examples of where you took Ms Milton on your dates?"

"I took her to my place a lot of the time, cooked for her. Sometimes we went to restaurants in the countryside, and she would wear a disguise, one time we went on a weekend break in the mountains and she told her husband she had a modelling shoot in Vegas... is that enough examples for you?" Alfie sounded bitter and betrayed, and Gabriel hated that it was his fault the kid felt like that.

Still, he ploughed on. "Yes, thankyou. Could you tell me how long you and Ms Milton have been together?"

"Since July," Alfie replied immediately, concentrating hard for a moment. "So - eight months."

Gabriel nodded. "And is this the longest relationship you've had?"

"Yes," Alfie confirmed.

"And could you state again, just for the record, how many ex boyfriends you have?"

"Four," Alfie replied immediately, frowning at the repeat question - and then his eyes widened in horror as he realized he'd been caught out.

"Your Honor," Gabriel began, addressing the judge with a small smirk pulling at the corners of his lips, "I believe that this answer makes the point that Mr Godson could not possibly have been sleeping with and in a serious relationship with Ms Milton, as he is not interested in women. While it is theoretically possible that a man could exclusively date men for his whole life and then later fall for a woman, I think it is unlikely that things would happen that way round given our heteronormative society and the fact that it is usually easier for young people to find dates of the opposite gender, which means that if Ms Milton were to be the first woman Mr Godson had ever dated, he would of course see this as significant, an important change or realization for him, and it would therefore likely form part of his testimony, so I would like to offer the humble opinion that-"

"Mr Novak, please sit down, you've made your point," the judge cut in, interrupting Gabriel's rant about sexuality. She turned to Alfie. "To summarize everything Mr Novak is saying in case you're just as lost as the rest of the world is - are you gay?"

Alfie slumped where he stood, getting even smaller as he curled in on himself, looking defeated. "Yes."

"Then I'll ask again. Were you or were you not having an affair with Ms Milton?"

Alfie shook his head. "No, I wasn't."

"Would you like to tell us why you would claim to be dating a woman you had never, in fact, had any sexual interest in?"

Alfie shook his head again, and now his voice was no more than a whisper. "No comment."

"In that case, please leave the stand, you'll be charged separately later. I think with that we'll break for the day, we've all had more than enough excitement for the time being. Jurors, lunch will be provided in the jury room, so you might not want to leave quite yet. Everyone else, there's a Chipotle down the street. We resume at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow."

She slammed her gavel on the table and stalked out of the room, shaking her head at this general train wreck of a court case, and Gabriel flopped back in his seat, resting his head on the back of the chair.

He'd done it. He'd made his point. But he still wasn't any closer to actually getting Anna off her charges. If anything, he thought, he'd only complicated things further, and he had no idea how he was going to get himself out of this mess. Being a lawyer was hard, and he was tired, and he kind of wanted a long break and a massage and maybe a few shots of tequila.

Maybe he just needed to get laid. He hadn't thought about that too much since he'd started - well, since he started applying to law school. He'd just had too many other things on his mind. But now that he thought about it, maybe a good fuck was exactly what he needed.

He stood up, gathering his papers together and sliding them into his briefcase. No, he was going to get back to work and he was going to see this case through to the end and put all his energy into it, because he was a professional.

\--

Castiel stifled a yawn as the button clicked on the coffee pot, and he started pouring mugs for the whole team. It was late that night and somehow the six of them were still working, still trying to find some new hole in the case that they could poke and prod at in light of the evidence Gabriel had uncovered that afternoon. Lucifer hadn't congratulated him once, and Gabriel tried not to be too upset about that. 

Even Sam was clearly feeling the pressure of the case. He'd given Gabriel a big hug and told him he did well, and flicked a Starburst at him halfway through the evening when Lucifer hadn't been looking, but he didn't have the same sparkle in his eyes that he usually did. Nobody was quite themselves. They were running entirely on confusion and coffee.

"So I'm fairly sure that after today, you're now Lucifer's favorite," Castiel said, fetching Gabriel's creamer from the fridge and dumping some into one of the coffee cups.

"Don't be ridiculous," Gabriel blushed, shaking his head. "You and Kali and Kevin are all doing amazing. We wouldn't be anywhere near where we are without you guys doing all your behind the scenes stuff."

"You're a better lawyer than any of us," Castiel corrected, staring down at the creamer as though fascinated by it. "Especially better than Kali. Not that that is much of a surprise to anybody."

Gabriel frowned. "What do you mean, not a surprise? She's a legacy, everyone knew she was going to be amazing-"

"When you got into Stanford, they sent you an acceptance letter, didn't they? Right away?"

"Of course," Gabriel nodded.

Castiel reached a final decision and added a small spoonful of creamer to his own coffee. "Yes, well, the same did not happen to Kali. She was put on a waitlist for places available if anyone were to receive an offer but change their mind. Her mother had to make a call to the school demanding that her place be guaranteed."

Gabriel stared at Castiel, not blinking. "What? You can't be serious."

"I saw the letter myself, Gabriel."

"But she- but I- but she told me-" He shook his head in disbelief.

Castiel put the creamer back in the fridge and picked up three of the coffee mugs, Gabriel retrieving the other three. "Like I said. Evidently you are the better lawyer of the two of you, and clearly that much was obvious from your application."

"I don't..." Gabriel stared after Castiel as he left the room, and then came to his senses and followed him, sure that thist was going to be all he was able to think about for the rest of the night. That was a plot twist he hadn't seen coming.

It was only a couple of hours later that Lucifer dismissed them for the night, declaring that they had very little chance of finding anything new by this point in the evening, and they'd be better off grabbing a few hours of sleep and getting back here as early as possible in the morning. Gabriel yawned as he stood up, already daydreaming of wrapping soft blankets around himself and tumbling into sleep for a while, but Lucifer called him back.

"Novak? Stay behind for a few minutes."

Gabriel groaned to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was spend any more time at work when he could have been on his way home to bed. For a moment he almost refused, but then he realized that was probably a very bad decision, and he sat back down.

Lucifer waited until the door had closed behind the others, and then he walked over to Gabriel, sitting down next to him and smiling. Gabriel so rarely saw him smile. It was unnerving.

"You did very well today. I must say, I never expected much from you, but you're doing a fair job of proving me wrong."

"If you never expected much from me, why did you give me this job?" Gabriel knotted his eyebrows together, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Because, Gabriel, I saw a potential in you. A special kind of potential, something that the other students don't have," Lucifer explained in a low voice, leaning in close.

Gabriel blinked, trying to stop himself from crashing on top of the desk and passing out right where he sat. "I don't know what you-"

"Have you thought about where you might like to be a summer associate? Because I'd like to keep you here. Officially I shouldn't be asking you until I've spoken to my partners, but... I'm sure they'll be just as excited to have you here as I am. And I can promise you I'll put in many, many good words for you."

"Why are you..." Gabriel's head was swimming, and he just wanted to get out of there. He wanted Lucifer to like him, of course, but this seemed like a conversation that could have waited until the morning. He stifled a yawn. "Earlier today you were telling me that you didn't want me to speak in court. You didn't want me to question a witness. And now you're just suddenly changing your mind?"

"Gabriel, I... I may have underestimated you. But it's very, very clear to me now. I think you could make a great lawyer. Providing, of course, that you had the right... help."

"Well, that's why I'm at law sch-" Gabriel frowned, but stopped abruptly when he felt a hand on his leg. He looked down. Lucifer trailed his hand up Gabriel's thigh until he reached the hem of his skirt, toying with it, teasing his fingers just a little bit underneath...

Gabriel's eyes widened and he squirmed in his seat, cringing internally, trying to get Lucifer's hand away from him, scared to cause too much of a scene. He felt slow, exhausted, fuzzy, and he didn't want this, he just wanted to be alone and warm and safe, and the only thing he wanted anywhere near his thighs were his best pair of fleece pajamas.

"What are you doing?" Gabriel squeaked, still trying to shift away from Lucifer, who didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"You're very attractive, Gabriel..." Lucifer whispered, leaning in close and brushing Gabriel's hair aside to hiss directly into his ear, his fingers pushing higher still until they found the waistband of Gabriel's tights, tugging on them and giving them a snap. "And these clothes you wear... I knew I should tell you to change them for the sake of the case, I knew what the other lawyers might say about you... but I liked looking at you in them. You're too good to me, parading yourself around like that in front of me... really makes a hard day at work so much easier."

"I don't do this for you," Gabriel insisted, his voice wavering, his brain waking up. He hunched forwards, tensing his body, drawing his legs up to trap Lucifer's hand and stop it from moving any further. "I don't dress like this so I can put myself on display for some creep who can't get a date. I do it cause I love these clothes. They make me happy."

"Wouldn't being a lawyer make you happy?" Lucifer pointed out, ignoring all the signs, still trying to snake his nails inside Gabriel's tights. They were rough and bitten, dissonant against the soft skin of Gabriel's stomach. "You could do it... I could make it easy for you. Summer associate for two years, a job offer when you graduate... I could fast track you up the career ladder if you play your cards right."

Lucifer's hand dipped into the crease between Gabriel's stomach and thighs, over the lace of his panties, and Gabriel was done. Those panties were special limited edition Victoria's Secret silk, and Gabriel had put them on for good luck this morning, and he was not, not, not going to let someone as disgusting as Lucifer ruin them by putting his hands on them, because Gabriel's panties deserved a hell of a lot better than that. 

And so did he.

Gabriel grabbed Lucifer's hand and tore it from his clothes, standing up and rounding on him, finally taller than somebody now that he was standing in his heels and Lucifer was frozen to the chair in shock.

"I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but I don't want to make it as a lawyer because some disgusting old professor fetishizes me and puts his dick in my pretty mouth. I got into this school on my own, I can be a lawyer on my own, too."


	11. Blonde With A Brain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gabriel literally deserves So Much Better™ and an ice cream sandwich

To Gabriel's surprise, Lucifer laughed, the kind of condescending laugh that said Gabriel really didn't know what the hell he was talking about. "You think you got into this school on your own? Novak, I saw your application. Your video... you in the bikini..."

Gabriel gasped in horror. Of course he remembered. That had been his favorite mermaid bikini, and he and Jess had had so much fun with that shot, pulling each other into the water once it was over, splashing each other and messing up their hair before letting themselves dry out as they lay in Gabriel's room with the heating turned up high, talking about their plans for their own weddings in the future, both of them really thinking that Gabriel had made a good speech while lying on his lilo talking to the camera...

"No - that can't be why they let me in-"

"I've told you before. You're idealistic. You want to see the best in people. And that's sweet, but I've been a lawyer for longer than your pretty little head can comprehend, and I know that people aren't good, and that people who want to be successful have to do... certain things. I thought you knew that, I thought you were already playing the game..."

Gabriel's face burned bright red, furious, and he wanted to throw something at Lucifer. Tiredness was a thing of the past - now he was just angry, and hurt, and terrified, and he wanted to be a million miles away from here. His eyes stung with tears, but he couldn't cry, not until he was safely in the elevator where Lucifer couldn't see him. He refused to be vulnerable in front of this guy.

"Yeah, well, I'm not playing any game. Cause I think I  _ am _ a good person. And I'd rather be back home with my parents working as an assistant in a nail salon but at least knowing that I'm doing that because I'm fucking good at it, than here, being a successful lawyer because I let you fuck me in my skirt," Gabriel choked, and then turned and ran out of the room as fast as he could, jamming the buttons for the elevator and running his hands through his hair over and over again, silently praying that Lucifer wasn't going to come out of his office before Gabriel could escape the floor.

A door banged behind him, and Gabriel whirled around, expecting the worst, his hand already reaching to take off his shoe in case he had to defend himself. But it wasn't Lucifer. It was just Castiel, walking down the hall on the way back from the bathroom. Gabriel wasn't sure when seeing Castiel had started to make him relax, but somehow it did.

The elevator dinged, and Gabriel stepped on, Castiel behind him.

"I can't believe you."

Gabriel turned, still fighting the tears that he could feel welling up in his eyes, sure that he'd heard that wrong, what with all the tiredness and emotions running through his mind. "What?"

There was pure venom in Castiel's face that Gabriel had never seen before, not even when they first met. It was actually kind of scary. 

"I guess Kali was right about you all along. You're really not worth anything, are you? You wrap us all around your little finger and make us think you're actually working hard just like we all are, but you're probably Instagramming your new favorite crop top and your dog's matching collar while everyone else is hard at work, waiting for Lucifer to give you all the information you need in exchange for sleeping with him! Why are you even here, Gabriel? To get Kali back, is that it? You and I both know that's never going to work, so maybe you should just get out of here and let those of us who are serious about becoming lawyers do our jobs!"

Castiel's rant took up the whole elevator ride, and by the time he was done, he was already pushing past Gabriel and storming out into the darkened entryway and then out towards his car without looking back.

"No - it wasn't-" Gabriel tried to call after him, but it was no use. Castiel wasn't listening, and Gabriel couldn't shout loud enough. He sank to the floor and buried his head in his hands, letting himself cry, noisy and ugly because there was nobody here except him so he wouldn't be making any kind of a scene. He sobbed openly, wailing, dragging his nails down his face, his throat constricting and his eyes stinging, but he didn't care, because all he wanted was to cry until he was no longer thinking about any of what had just happened upstairs.

And then... and then there was a warm body next to him.

A hand on his shoulder, just resting there, comforting him, not trying to move anywhere or do anything.

And a voice.

"We gotta stop meeting like this."

Gabriel was so surprised that he stopped crying. He jerked his head up and wet gold eyes met soft, comforting hazel ones. "Sam?"

"Yeah, it's me, it's okay, I'm here, I got you," Sam promised, rubbing small circles into Gabriel's arm. Gabriel shuddered and melted against him, falling down and curling up in Sam's lap. "I saw Lucifer call you back and I just wanted to wait down here for you, make sure you got back to your car safe. I know you can take care of yourself, but I worry about you all the same. I care about you, Gabriel."

"Care about you too," Gabriel mumbled where his face was pressed into Sam's suit. "You're nice and you're the one person at this school who's always there for me and doesn't think of me as some stupid boy in a dress who's never going to succeed at anything."

"You're not any of those things," Sam said, outraged, wrapping his arms tighter round Gabriel. "Well, you're in a dress, that part's true, but... who said that? Who do I have to fight?"

"Everyone says it. So unless you want to fight all the kids and all the staff in our whole school, you probably shouldn't bother with me anymore. And it means a lot to me that you did, Sam, it really does. But I'm gonna go home now. There's no point me being here any longer."

Sam made a small, broken noise and ran his hands through Gabriel's hair, petting him gently, trying to hold him close and not let him go. "Gabriel, you can't leave, not when you're doing so well. We need you. I need you."

Gabriel shook his head, his hair flying all around. "No, I, I can't, please, don't make me feel guilty about the trial. I should never have come here. I was just some dumb kid who didn't know how to live without their girlfriend and went way too far trying to get her back and I'm glad that people finally told me that, cause it means that now I can go home and start moving on and I don't have to keep pretending to be someone I'm not. I'll be okay. I'm always okay, I've been through way worse than this."

"I know you have, and I don't ever want you to again." Sam was crying too now, a few tears dripping into Gabriel's hair as he hugged him tight. "Look, if you want to leave, I'm not going to stop you. I respect you too much. But at least... wait til the morning, yeah? I don't want you driving in the middle of the night on no sleep when you're feeling like this. Get some rest. And if you still want to leave when you wake up... well, then, I'll miss you, okay? And I think you're a great lawyer. And I think whatever else you end up doing will be great too. And I think that everyone who ever told you you couldn't be a lawyer doesn't know what an incredible, smart, talented, capable person they're missing out on. You got that?"

Gabriel nodded, burrowing even closer into Sam for a long moment, before dragging himself upright, looking like it was the last thing he wanted to do. "Kind of just want to sleep right there, you know?" He gestured to Sam's lap.

"That might get us a few weird looks when people start getting here in the morning," Sam pointed out, even though he didn't much care what anyone else thought, or how uncomfortable the marble wall was against his back. He would happily have held Gabriel all night if Gabriel asked him to. He almost invited Gabriel back with him to sleep at his place for the night, but no, Gabriel was sad right now and Sam was not going to take advantage of that.

Gabriel struggled to his feet, looking small and lost, hugging himself protectively. Sam thought he looked like he'd lost three inches and fifty pounds since his speech in court that day.

"If you're ever in LA, give me a call, okay? You're the best thing about this place, and I'm really glad I met you," Gabriel said to the floor, because meeting Sam's eyes would make him far, far too tempted to stay.

Then, he turned around and padded back through the huge marble entryway, back through the big glass doors to the courthouse, and out into the cold night.

\--

Sam watched him go, his heart feeling like it was splitting in two. Gabriel deserved so much better than this. Gabriel had never been anything but good. All he'd ever done was try his best to be better, to help people, to do well and to make people smile. He was the purest, softest person Sam had ever met and Sam hated the fact that there were people out there who couldn't see those same things in him. It was, quite honestly, a tragedy.

He got to his feet, not as tired as he had been earlier, just completely empty. He walked out into the parking lot, tugging his jacket tighter around him, wishing he'd given it to Gabriel. He hadn't realized just how cold it was until he'd got out here.

"Sam! I thought everyone had gone home."

Castiel came jogging up to him, his car keys clutched tight in his hand. When he caught a glimpse of Sam's face, he stopped. "Is everything alright?"

Sam shook his head. "Not really, no. Gabriel's gone. Home. Back to LA. They've quit the case and they've quit  _ school _ because apparently everyone's been telling them they don't belong here and that they'll never be a lawyer, and that, that's crap! You saw them up there today! They knew exactly what they were doing and they noticed things that nobody else would have!"

Castiel pulled a face. "Look, Sam, I have to tell you what I just saw..."

\--

Gabriel didn't want to go home, but he knew he didn't have a choice if he wanted to get all his things. Even through his delirious tiredness, he forced himself to box everything up, to roll up all his clothes or fold them neatly according to what material they were made out of, putting layers of tissue paper between them so that he could store them in his suitcases. He worked through the night, and his car was packed by the time the sun came up, no trace that he'd ever lived in that little apartment except for the pink chiffon curtains he'd made himself that floated in the breeze around the window, and the lingering smell of perfume in the air.

He knew he'd promised Sam he would sleep, but he didn't want to yet, not until he was far away from here. Besides, he had one stop left to make.

Gabriel pulled up outside the nail salon and climbed out of the car, plodding through the door. There were no customers around, no music playing, no buzz of chatter - just Donna and a few other employees standing round sipping from chipped coffee mugs as they unpacked their things and got ready for their day.

"Sorry, we're not open for another half hour," Donna said, automatically, as she turned around - but then she saw who was standing there. "Gabriel!"

"Hi," he waved, morosely.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have court today? You should be resting up so that you can get your friend off her murder charge and keep on making the world a better place!"

Usually, Donna's enthusiasm was infectious, but today it was just giving Gabriel a headache. "Yeah. I'm not doing that any more. They all told me I'm useless and not good for anything besides the way I look and they're all just like Kali, none of them can take me seriously. I thought maybe I could prove one person wrong, but I got no chance at proving the whole world wrong."

Donna stood up, putting her hands on her hips and going into full mom mode. "You listen to me, young lady. I take you seriously. And you have done so much for me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have Misha back, I wouldn't have a date this weekend-"

"You have a date? With Jody?" Gabriel cut in, smiling for the first time since Lucifer had called him back last night.

"Yeah. Apparently riding in an ambulance together is a bonding experience, because it's been easier to talk to her since then. We're going to get dinner on Friday. It's gonna be my first date since Doug."

Gabriel ran over and gave Donna a kiss on the cheek. "You listen to me, your date is going to be wonderful. Because you're wonderful, and everyone can see it, especially Jody. And you've got her now, so you're not even going to think about me. But... I'm really glad I could help, okay? And... keep being you. Cause the world could use more people like you."

"Right back at you, kid," Donna said with a small smile. "Stay safe, won't you? This town's about to get a lot less interesting without you in it."

Gabriel nodded, ducking his head, turning and walking back the way he came.

There wasn't anything more to say.

He climbed in his car and drove until he hit the highway, until the signs for San Francisco were out of sight, until he no longer recognized the town names, and until the palm trees were starting to appear on the roadsides. Then, he pulled into a rest stop, shut off the engine, grabbed a blanket from the back of the car, curled up underneath it in a ball on the passenger seat, and slept.

\--

"I feel terrible. This is all my fault."

Sam shook his head, pacing around the room, tugging on his own hair in frustration. "Not your fault, Castiel. The only person I blame here is Lucifer, alright? I'm sure that even if you hadn't yelled at Gabriel they would have... they were already feeling terrible enough. Not saying you helped, but you didn't cause this."

"I jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't have done. I should at least have asked them instead of going straight to chewing them out like I did-"

"Enough with the self pity, Cas!" Sam barked, and then sat down on the table, shaking his head. "Sorry. I get it. You're used to being round Kali and she's conditioned you to hate Gabriel or whatever. But it's not going to help us fix things if you sit here feeling bad about it. We have to come up with a plan, okay? We gotta figure out how we can bring them back here. Because, fuck, I don't wanna live without them. And maybe I look at the kid through heart shaped glasses or something, but honestly, I think they might be the best thing to ever happen to this firm. So. Any ideas?"

Castiel paused and thought for a moment, examining the framed degree on Lucifer's office wall. "I think we should talk to Anna."

"Nice thought, Cas, but she's in jail, she can't exactly help us much with rescuing Gabriel."

"No, but she was their sorority sister! She's known them for longer than either of us have. And she might have some kind of idea, some... sisterhood secret that she's only allowed to share in an emergency."

Sam stared at Castiel, frowning and shaking his head for a moment, before walking towards the door. "You know what, I never in my life expected that sentence to be something I'd listen to and agree with. But you're right. Talking to her's definitely worth a shot. We'll speak to the guards, see if we can get permission to confer with her on our lunch break today."

"You really think we can do this?" Castiel asked.

Sam shrugged. "Not a clue. But I'll never forgive myself if I don't try. Don’t think I could ever forget about Gabriel.”

Concentrating on the case that morning was one of the hardest things Sam had ever had to do, even above getting out of bed and going to class that one time in his first semester where he'd gone out with a cute girl to a local club on a Thursday night and let her talk him into chugging tequila from the bottle. Sam knew that some people might say he had his priorities wrong if he admitted that he thought Gabriel was more important than Anna’s case, but... okay, he didn't really have an excuse. 

He just knew that he couldn't go a second longer without letting Gabriel know how important they were. Sam seemed to be one of the few people who knew it for sure, and he felt like he might explode with it.

As soon as they were dismissed for lunch, he grabbed Castiel's arm and the two of them hurried down the hallway, ready to talk to Anna. The guards patted them down and walked them inside, but now that they were in the courthouse, their lawyer status gave them at least some kind of authority, and it wasn’t long before they were sent through and allowed to talk to Anna alone.

"Hi," Anna said in a rush, as soon as they sat down opposite her. "Where's Gabriel?"

Sam and Cas looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, trying to decide who should be the one to break the news.

"That's actually why we're here," Sam told her eventually, deciding to take one for the team. "Look, Ms Milton, I know this is a tough time for you, and the last thing you need is something else to worry about. But Gabriel quit the team last night. They just walked out and went back to LA. And I know they didn't want to, it was just because some other people were being-"

"Gabriel quit the team?" Anna screeched, trying to climb out of her seat. One of the guards stepped over and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her back down.

Anna sucked in a few breaths, still almost vibrating where she sat. "Gabriel was the only one of you nitwits I wanted as my lawyer in the first place! They're the only one I trust to get me out of this mess!"

"Hey, calm down," Sam comforted, but his comfort didn't work quite as well when he couldn't put an arm round her, and also when he was too preoccupied with worrying about someone who by now was surely hundreds of miles away. "We're not giving up. There's lots of us still here, and I promise you we will do everything we can to make sure these charges are dropped. We'll do it for Gabriel. And for you, of course."

Anna shook her head. "No, if it's a choice between you lot and Gabriel, then I'd choose them every time! If there’s been some kind of argument, then how about the rest of you leave and Gabriel comes back?

Sam did his best to keep his voice slow and steady. "It wasn't an argument, exactly. But trust me, I would do anything to get Gabriel back, and that's why I came to talk to you. I knew we'd be on the same side with this, and-"

"Look, no offense, but I'm the one with the money here, I'm the one who's paying you all, and I'm telling you that I want Gabriel defending me, and nobody else will do!"

"They're not even the one you hired," Sam had to point out. "Besides, Gabriel's not qualified to defend a whole case on his own. He's still a student, he can only-"

"Actually," Castiel cut in, "that's not necessarily true. There are a few clauses in the state laws which say that a current law student is, in fact, allowed to represent a client on their own if they are supervised by a licensed attorney."

Sam stared at him, completely frozen for a moment in time, his mouth open and his eyes wide. Then, he snapped out of it, turning to Anna, businesslike once more. "Would you be okay with that? Gabriel representing you even though they're not technically qualified?"

"You think I give a rat's ass about qualifications?" Anna snorted. "Tell me, can any one of you explain the difference between a foundation and a tinted moisturizer? How’s that for a qualification?"

Sam glanced at Castiel, then at Anna, giving them both a tiny half grin. "Alright. Great. In that case, I'm going to rescue Gabriel."

He didn't even pack. Didn't go home, didn't so much as stop to go to the bathroom. Sam just raced through the courthouse and out into the parking lot, jumping in his car, ignoring how much gas he had left, ignoring the speed limits, taking off as fast as he could. It had already been far too many minutes since he'd last seen Gabriel. He wanted to get there as soon as he possibly could, racing the sun, knowing that it would be highly irresponsible and dangerous to try to arrive before dark, but knowing damn well that he was going to anyway.

It was only six hours later that Sam found himself idling inside a Denny's parking lot just outside of Los Angeles, pulling out his phone, his hand almost shaking too hard to press the buttons.

A confused voice sounded on the other end of the line. "Hello?"

Sam took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Hi, uh, Gabriel gave me this number! Said you were their emergency contact and that I should call you if anything ever happened?"

"You asked Gabriel for their emergency contact? You must be Sam."

Sam frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that Gabriel said you always take care of them, make sure they get home safe, that kind of thing. It's really sweet, don't worry. We all laugh at the kid, but they like it really. You have no idea how much they smile when they talk about you."

Sam opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, very glad that nobody could see him right now - had Gabriel really said that? It had to be an exaggeration.

But he wasn't here to get compliments, he was here for one reason and one reason only. "Anyway, Jess, I need a favor. I need you to give me Gabriel's LA address."

\--

Gabriel spent the whole day in his room back home, not drawing, not watching movies, not listening to music, not online shopping, not eating, not doing anything at all. He just curled up on his bed and lay there, occasionally thinking, but trying his best not even to do that whenever possible. 

Everything seemed pointless. There was nothing to do - he wanted to study, his  _ instinct _ was to study, but his textbooks were hundreds of miles away, and it wasn't like he had anything to study  _ for _ now. So he stayed in bed, picking at a loose thread on one of his old pillowcases, marveling at how much his huge, beautiful room with the skylight and the swirly lilac ceiling he'd painted himself with he was twelve didn't feel like home anymore.

He twirled a strand of hair around his finger. Maybe he should dye it black or something. He was finally starting to understand why people wore so much black. A pink silk robe and fluffy bunny shaped slippers didn't seem to be appropriate for the moment. Gabriel wanted to rip them off and to bury himself in the world's biggest black hoodie and sweatpants, until nobody would be able to see him under all that fabric.

He was seriously considering going to the mall and buying some black lipstick just because it would be something to do, and because it would make him move his legs for the first time in hours, when the doorbell rang.

Gabriel waited for somebody else to answer it, or for the person to go away.

There was no sound. Of course there was no sound. Gabriel's parents were away on their cruise in the Caribbean, and they wouldn't be back until next week. It was just him and Loki and the massive cloud of shame and failure that hung over his head.

The doorbell rang again.

Gabriel decided that he'd wait it out once more, and that it would only be important enough to answer if whoever it was decided to ring a third time.

They did.

For a moment Gabriel wanted to wait for a fourth ring, but then he realized if he didn't move now, he never would. He rolled out of bed and crashed onto the floor, picking himself up and adjusting his robe just enough to cover his underwear. He fluffed up the braid in his hair just a little bit, decided his face was an entirely lost cause, and made his way downstairs to open the door.

"Gabriel, thank God, I was scared when you didn't answer, I thought something had happened to you!" Sam Winchester burst out, standing in front of the sunset and holding his arms out wide, waiting for Gabriel to jump right into them.

 


	12. Kiss Me, I'm Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i thINK THE CHAPTER TITLE SAYS IT ALL

Gabriel had to be dreaming, it was the only explanation. This didn't make any logical sense. Sam couldn't be here, he had probably only been out of court for an hour or two, and that wasn't enough time for him to get here. No, Gabriel must have fallen asleep somewhere in the midst of hating himself, and his subconscious brain had only retained the will to live by imagining that there was someone out there who actually cared about him.

"Gabriel? Sweetheart, are you alright?"

Sam's voice sounded real. Sounded like it was right there next to him.

"Sorry. That was stupid, wasn't it? You're not alright, you look... well, you look beautiful as always, but you look tired and sad and... here, we need to get you upstairs, okay? Back into bed? You're going to have to show me where it is, but I don't want you standing around down here. Wait. Food and water, you probably haven't eaten. Let's do this. Show me where the kitchen is."

Sam scooped Gabriel up in his arms and took a few steps down the hallway. "You can talk or you can just point. Whatever you want. Just so long as you eat something."

"’S the last door on the right," Gabriel told him.

This was real. This was actually Sam, standing here in the kitchen of Gabriel's childhood home, sorting through the cupboard and trying to get to grips with all the fancy appliances on the counter. Sam had come down here, out of the blue, to see Gabriel and to make him food and to make sure he was okay. Gabriel had never, not since he was a kid, had someone who would do something like that just for him.

"Alright, I'm making chicken nuggets, and I'm gonna put cumin on them because I know that's what you like, and I'm gonna get you some vanilla ice cream to dip them in because for some reason I've never understood that's the  _ other _ thing you like, and then I'm going to pour you a glass of water and don't you dare give me that look saying you'd rather have soda, because you need to be hydrated and not have more sugar, got it?"

"Got it," Gabriel said in a weak voice, the kitchen lights far too bright after having his face hidden in a pillow for hours.

Sam microwaved the nuggets so that they'd be ready sooner, and it was less than ten minutes later that he was sitting opposite Gabriel at the kitchen table, plates of food in front of both of them.

"So, now might be a good time for you to tell me what you're actually doing here, cause I'm still having a hard time believing this is real," Gabriel said, unable to take his eyes off Sam, biting into his first chicken nugget.

Sam wasn't scared. He had nothing to be scared of. Gabriel was gone, and that means there was nothing left to lose. Things couldn't get any worse - if Gabriel kicked him out and made him drive back up to San Francisco alone, he'd only be in the same position he'd been in this morning.

So he took a deep breath and started to speak. "Gabriel, I... I miss you. It's only been a few hours, but I already miss you. I miss the way your smile lights up your face, and the way you do a little twirl when you see me for the first time each day so that your skirt swishes around you, and the way that when we sit next to each other you always press close into my side and make a little noise like a baby dragon breathing its first puff of smoke. I miss the way your face gets all animated when you're really involved in a legal debate, and the way that you can't make an argument without using the phrase 'it's patently obvious' at least once, and the fact that when you're particularly interested in an old case you'll Google search the people who were involved just to make sure they're still doing okay now."

Gabriel kept eating his chicken nuggets, but he was barely tasting them, everything in him preoccupied with listening to what Sam was saying, nervous butterflies taking flight in his stomach.

"And this isn't only about me. You make the world a better place just by being in it. You always will - even if you lived here and stayed indoors all day and only left the house to get the mail, you'd make the mailman happier just by smiling at him. And it's not because of your looks. It's because of your kindness, and the way that around you, other people feel like they matter and like someone cares about them, even if it's only for a second. And your future clients, the people who you'd be defending who have nobody but you, and especially Anna, they're the ones that need you more than anyone. And that's why I think you should come back and be a lawyer with me again," Sam continued. 

Gabriel's hand stilled halfway to his mouth, chicken nuggets now on hold in favor of staring at Sam and waiting to hear what he was going to say next.

"Because, Gabriel, you sparkle. You sparkle like all that glitter you wear. You don't even need to wear glitter, because I've seen you without makeup on and I know that you’re naturally made of glitter anyway, so maybe you're just matching your makeup to your personality. I don't know anything about this. You'll have to teach me someday."

Gabriel giggled, covering his mouth with his hands and drawing his legs up to his chest, staring at Sam, a little starstruck.

"You are the lawyer Anna wants and the lawyer she needs, and you're the lawyer so many other people are gonna want, too. Lucifer might not be one of those people, and Kali might not be one either, and maybe they've done their best to make people agree with them. But there will be other people. Next year's first years aren't going to hear about any of this. They're just gonna hear that you're the kid who broke open a case all on your own and saved a famous supermodel from having to go to prison."

Sam leaned awkwardly across the table to take Gabriel's hand in his, not caring that his stomach was now pressed painfully into the rough stone table edge.

"So I'm hoping all those reasons are gonna be enough for you. But in case they're not, then here's one more. I don't think I've ever enjoyed spending time with anyone as much as I've enjoyed spending it with you these past few months. And because I work for free and can't afford to spend too much money on gas and can't drive down to LA every weekend, I really want you to come home so that we can keep spending time together."

Sam gave him a dorky grin. "Okay, I'm done. What do you think?"

Gabriel pulled his hands out of Sam's grip and began to clap, a smile spreading over his face. "Good job, sir. Very good job. I will indeed choose you to play the part of the dramatic hero in my upcoming production, and I'd like to thank you very much for coming into audition today."

Sam stared at him and just blinked for a moment, but then he caught on. "I have to say, Director, I really didn't expect this when I came in, I thought perhaps one of the supporting characters, or the rear end of the horse, but the lead? Thankyou so much for this wonderful opportunity!"

Gabriel snorted into his half finished bowl of ice cream. "You're a fucking dork."

Sam smirked. "That sounds like a yes to me."

Gabriel stared at Sam, his head tilted, his eyes wide and pleading, his smile confident but with a slight twitch of nervousness, his hair brushing his cheeks as it fell down to his collar, all of him looking completely at home in Gabriel's old kitchen even though he'd only got here a half hour ago, and Gabriel could hardly believe what he was seeing. Or rather, what he hadn't seen until this very moment in time. 

Because Sam, sat right there in the glow of the overhead lights, framed by some of the old pictures Gabriel had drawn when he was in middle school that had just never been taken off the fridge... Sam looked perfect. Sam looked like the culmination of everything Gabriel had ever wanted in his entire life up to now.

Gabriel stood up from his seat, took a few steps over towards Sam, grabbed him by both cheeks and pulled him forwards into a kiss.

Sam let out a tiny grunt of surprise, his body going still until he came to his senses, wrapping his arms around Gabriel's waist and tugging him up so that Gabriel was kneeling in his lap.

"Gabriel..." Sam whispered against Gabriel's lips. "Gabriel, Gabriel, Gabriel..."

Gabriel moaned back, pulling Sam even closer, kissing him harder, snatching breaths of air between kisses but making them as quick as possible, because any moment not kissing Sam was a moment wasted. He stayed there until his knees went numb, running his hands through Sam's hair over and over again, dragging his thumb over the five o'clock shadow on Sam’s cheek, Gabriel's eyes fluttering closed as he let himself just feel Sam beneath him.

"It's a yes," Gabriel finally panted when he was slumped on Sam's shoulder, dropping lazy kisses onto his neck. "It's absolutely a yes. I have to help Anna, and if there's going to be more of... what we just did... then I want to be there with you, too."

Sam beamed and gestured towards the plate of food. "I think your chicken nuggets are probably cold now."

Gabriel sat up and glared at him, his mouth wide open. "I just told you I'd move all the way back up to San Francisco for you, where the weather is terrible, by the way, and all you can talk about is your soggy chicken nuggets?"

Sam couldn't help it. He leaned in and kissed Gabriel again, and when he pulled back, Gabriel was smiling. "I'm only letting you get away with that this one time, Sammoose. In future you're going to argue with me like a rational adult, you hear me?"

"I hear you loud and clear," Sam promised him, cupping Gabriel's face in wonder. "So how long have you wanted to do that?"

Gabriel shrugged, hiding his face like he was embarrassed. "I think I always have. Even right back when we met the first time, I think part of me wanted to just stay sitting by the fountain and kiss you right then. But I didn't ever admit it to myself, I didn't want to think I could have those kinds of feelings for anyone other than Kali again. And then I finally let myself see it... well, just now, when I was sitting right over there, dipping my chicken nuggets into my ice cream."

Sam laughed, the kind of laugh that wrapped itself around Gabriel and squeezed him tight and made him feel like he would never have to worry about anything ever again.

"Yeah, I'm right there with you. I let myself admit it a while ago now, but I didn't let myself think I'd ever have a chance with you. I mean, I'm just the regular guy who grew up as the nerdy little brother and did all his homework in high school and kept his head down in college and then became a lawyer. Whereas, you... you're so much more than that, so much more than I deserve, you're like a... a magical... fairy... princess."

Gabriel stared. "Did you just call me a magical fairy princess?"

"Sorry!" Sam cringed, realizing he must have said something wrong. "I didn't mean to- I know that's not what-"

"Sam, I'm pretty sure that's the best thing I've ever been called in my life, and now I really want to kiss you again, my magical fairy prince."

Sam blushed, and the two of them fell forwards against each other once again, their lips colliding and moving against one another to spark even more magic.

This time, Gabriel was more confident at kissing Sam, and he started to get more demanding. He rocked his hips forward a few times so that his cock rubbed against Sam's stomach, feeling himself harden against the silk of his robe. He licked a stripe up Sam's cheek and tugged on his earlobe with his teeth, letting out a low moan right into his ear. Gabriel's hands slipped down Sam's back and came to rest just above his ass.

"What are you..." Sam panted, gasping as Gabriel's leg pressed against his cock. "Gabriel, are you sure?"

"Fuck, Sam, of course I'm sure," Gabriel insisted, rocking forwards again so that Sam could feel just how hard he was.

"But you..." Sam moaned again and pressed his face into Gabriel's shoulder for a second. "You had a bad day... and you're tired... and I don't want you to do anything... that you're going to regret later."

"I slept," Gabriel reassured him, sliding his hands up Sam's shirt and rubbing his back. "And I had food. And if you don't think I've dreamed about doing this loads of times while I'm shut up in my room at night, then you are absolutely mistaken."

Sam let out his loudest moan yet just at Gabriel's words. "Oh, God, okay, I'm not strong enough to argue with that," he whispered. "You want to go upstairs?" 

Gabriel nodded and climbed off of Sam, grabbing his hand and tugging him out of the room and up the stairs, dragging him into the bedroom as fast as he could. He pouted at Sam's suit jacket, wishing it was cheap or fit badly or stained or some other problem that meant Gabriel could just rip it off him and leave it in a pile on the floor, but it wasn't. It was a really nice suit jacket, so of course Gabriel had to take it off very gently like he was working with a mannequin here, fold it neatly and place it on a shelf in the closet where it wouldn't get damaged by the sunlight. Every time he turned back around to look at Sam, his face flushed and sweat already starting to make his white dress shirt stick to his toned chest, Gabriel could feel his cock get even harder and he'd have to press the base of his palm against it, whining from how badly he wanted Sam.

Finally, Gabriel was done folding all of Sam's clothes, and he stood in front of him again, taking in Sam's naked body, almost drooling with how badly he wanted him. He couldn't reach to kiss Sam right here, so instead he took his hand and pushed Sam down on the bed, kicking off his bunny slippers as he lay down next to him. 

Sam and Gabriel exchanged smiles which only lasted for a moment before they grabbed each other again, kissing each other hard and desperate and shifting closer on the bed to close the space between them. Gabriel finally scraped his nails down Sam's back, grabbing a handful of his ass and squeezing it to bring him even closer. Sam's cock rubbed against the silk of Gabriel's robe, making them both groan.

Sam slipped a hand between their stomachs and managed to untie Gabriel's robe, so that the pink silk fluttered open, putting Gabriel's body on display. Sam stared at him. His skin was just as golden all over as Sam had imagined it, his stomach was soft with just a little bit of pudge, and his cock was straining towards Sam so much that Sam could almost see it twitching. 

Sam wanted to stare at Gabriel forever, but he wasn't sure Gabriel would even be able to handle that right now, so he wrapped a hand round Gabriel's cock and gave it a few careful strokes.

Gabriel whimpered and pressed himself forwards, his back arching so that his chest was touching Sam's. Sam gave Gabriel's cock another stroke and twisted his hand when he reached the head, and Gabriel pulled on Sam's hair and gave him a sloppy kiss, whining into Sam's mouth. The more Sam touched him, the more responsive Gabriel was, his body making it damn clear how much he loved everything Sam was doing, Gabriel making more noise than anyone Sam had ever been with before.

"Fuck, Gabriel, you're so hot," he couldn't stop himself from saying even though he knew it was a cliche, his hips setting up a constant rhythm of their own, his cock leaking precome onto Gabriel's stomach. He squeezed Gabriel's balls and for some reason it made Sam even more turned on, gritting his teeth and trying to calm his aching erection.

He moved his hand back further between Gabriel's legs, one finger teasing his hole. "Can I… do you have..." he whispered in Gabriel's ear.

Gabriel's whole body rolled forwards and he shivered, his ass already clenching around Sam's finger and trying to pull it in further. "Fuck, Sam, of course it's okay, top drawer, but please hurry," Gabriel hissed, his hands tightening around Sam, a quivering mess from how desperate he was by now.

Sam fumbled around in the drawer, sorting through a collection of old makeup bottles until he found a few sachets of lube. He ripped one open and coated his finger with it, before rolling onto his back and pulling Gabriel on top of him as he pressed one finger inside, and Gabriel let out his loudest moan yet as he sank down onto Sam's finger, his face screwing up in complete ecstasy. 

He shivered on top of Sam, putting all of his weight onto him, unable to hold himself up through the sensations already coursing through his body. He rocked back onto Sam's finger over and over again, doing his best to thrust forwards at the same time and rub his own cock against Sam's, mostly because he loved the high pitched noise that Sam made in response. 

"You want me to fuck you?" Sam panted, his voice almost a growl in Gabriel's ear. "Is that what you want? Me, inside of you, filling you up..."

Gabriel whimpered yet again and fisted his hands in Sam's hair. "I, oh God, Sam, as much as I very definitely do want you to fuck me one day, right now I haven't had sex with anyone since Kali, and that was a year and a half ago, and this kind of feels really good and I'm kind of desperate and I won’t last so if it's okay with you I actually just really, really want to come all over your face," he said in a rush, his face bright red and his hips refusing to stop moving for even half a second through his whole speech.

Sam dug his nails into Gabriel's back and moaned again, and maybe this making a lot of noise thing was infectious, because Sam wasn't usually like this, but either way, he was definitely into Gabriel's idea. "Fuck, of course that's okay, yeah, whatever you want, baby..." Sam promised, cupping Gabriel's ass and pulling him up to sit on Sam's chest. 

He grasped Gabriel's cock and began jerking it faster and faster, one finger still inside of him, twisting and pressing against his prostate. And Gabriel came apart on top of Sam, whimpering on every breath now, making these tiny little noises that he just couldn't stand to hold inside, his balls drawing up as he felt everything inside him tense up for one excruciatingly long moment and then explode in a rainbow of colors in front of his eyes as he spurted, long strands of come marking up Sam's face as Gabriel thrust his hips forward over and over again, the orgasm seeming to go on forever.

Gabriel was still making noise as he came down, each aftershock drawing out a tiny little moan from him, his cock still twitching with the memory of how incredible that had felt. He was dizzy and lightheaded, but he couldn't fail to notice Sam taking his own cock in his hand, finishing himself off.

Gabriel scowled at him and tried to take over, but didn't quite manage to push Sam's much larger hand out of the way, and the two of them ended up jerking Sam together, managing to get into approximately the same rhythm as they brought Sam closer and closer to the edge. It wasn't long at all before Sam, too, was gasping out Gabriel's name once again and coming all over his stomach, even getting a few stripes of come on Gabriel's shiny pink silk robe.

It said something about how good Gabriel felt and how much he loved Sam that he didn't complain about the robe as he curled up against Sam, not even pulling a blanket over himself, because Sam was plenty big and warm enough to be Gabriel's blanket for now.

"I've decided to add some terms to my agreeing to come back," Gabriel mumbled. "I'm only gonna come with you if we get to do that again in the morning before we go."

Sam chuckled and cradled Gabriel in his arms. "Legally, you're not allowed to go back on an agreement and add new conditions later. But in these circumstances, I'm willing to base this on good faith. I'll accept your terms."

Gabriel offered up a happy sigh, and then promptly dropped off to sleep. The next noise he made was a disgruntled snore halfway through the night, when Sam, also now asleep, accidentally removed his hand from Gabriel's hair in a dream.

\--

Sam would happily have stayed there, just him and Gabriel cuddled up in bed, for the rest of forever. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this happy, or this comfortable. But there was a real world he had to get back to, and a point he had to prove to his... his...

Well, he'd ask Gabriel what exactly they were, a little bit later.

The two of them drove back to San Francisco in separate cars, racing each other down the highway, Gabriel pulling his window down and yelling for the whole state to hear that Sam had a suburban mom car, the both of them pulling into a rest stop halfway for lunch and coffee. Sam and Gabriel pulled their plastic food court chairs around so that they could sit next to each other rather than opposite, and Sam kept his hand on Gabriel's thigh for the entire meal, while Gabriel fed him cubes of cheese and bites of cookie. 

Then, Gabriel spotted a games arcade at the rest stop, and he dragged Sam off to play on the twenty five cent slot machines with him. Gabriel proved incredibly good at the games where he had to move a claw to pick up a stuffed animal, and ended up with a blue whale, a pink and yellow snake, and what looked oddly like a fluffy purple hammer. He proudly presented all his winnings to Sam, who promised that he'd take very, very good care of them.

They drove the last few hours back home, and Sam helped Gabriel take his things out of his car and put them in his bedroom. Gabriel made all kinds of lewd comments about Sam's biceps and how big and strong he was, insisting that he had to get all the pickup lines out of his system to make up for lost time, and that he'd chill out soon. 

Once they were done unpacking, Gabriel insisted that it was very dark and cold outside and that Sam definitely should not go home on his own right now. Sam certainly wasn't complaining - in fact, he'd long since kicked off his shoes and pants, and was reclining among Gabriel's pink fuzzy blankets flipping through a recent issue of Cosmopolitan, trying to get to grips with some of the hair styling techniques that Gabriel talked about all the time.

Gabriel made pasta for the two of them to share, and they ate it out of the saucepan, each of them choosing a movie to watch on Netflix so that they could introduce each other to one of their favorites. Sam agreed that Clueless was actually a pretty great movie ("Pretty great? Sam, that movie was my entire childhood, it shaped me as a person, it's a hell of a lot more than 'pretty great'!") while Gabriel started off not at all sure about Shaun of the Dead, but by the end was cracking up laughing right along with Sam as they watched the main character play video games with his zombie best friend in their shed.

The two of them changed into pajamas and set alarms for the morning, and then cuddled up close in Gabriel's bed, enjoying a late night whispered conversation that lasted until they both dropped off to sleep.

 


	13. Blondes Have More Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you guys i did so much fucking research on hair extensions for this
> 
> just the epilogue left now!! but trust me gabriel wears a Very Special Dress in the epilogue so get ready

The following morning, Sam Winchester walked into the courtroom alone, dressed in his best suit and tie, his hair a little bit sleeker and shinier than usual because Gabriel had insisted on styling it for him that morning. He sat down next to Lucifer, Anna waiting on their other side, a wide smile on her face.

Sam smirked back, winking, and Anna couldn't help giggling.

Lucifer scowled. He'd had a late night last night, especially because his chief assistant, Sam, had completely bailed on him for almost two full days now due to some family emergency. "What are you so happy about?" he grumbled.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I'm your lawyer, you hired me to-"

"No you're not." Anna tossed her hair over one shoulder, smiling innocently up at Lucifer. "You're fired. I have new representation now."

Lucifer's eyes boggled out of his head. He stared at Anna for a moment, then turned to look at Sam. "Do you know anything about-"

Sam just shrugged, a tiny smile playing on his face.

Lucifer looked back at Anna. "Lady, I'm the best lawyer in San Francisco, you're making a mistake here."

"Actually, I don't think I am."

Lucifer shook his head. "Then who-"

The courtroom doors burst open, and everyone turned around, staring at the person who had just come through the door. Gabriel was there, dressed in a bright pink V-neck dress that flared out just beneath the waist and tapered in again at the knees, giving him a waist and hips that most models would die for. He wore a pale pink blazer, embezzled with tiny silver rhinestones on the lapels and arranged in a wing pattern on the back, and his shoes were matching pale pink platform heels, the highest shoes Sam had ever seen him in. His hair was curled and fluffed, and Sam was fairly sure he could see the glitter in that lipgloss from here.

Of course, he was very much hoping that later he'd get to see it close up.

Lucifer stood up, gaping at Gabriel, who strutted down the aisle as though it were his own personal catwalk. "What are you doing here?"

Gabriel reached the bench and leaned down, looming over Lucifer and smirking. "I'm Ms Milton's lawyer. Didn't she tell you? You won't be needed today."

Lucifer shook his head. "Oh, no. You're not getting up there. You quit. I won't allow it. I'm your professor, and I'm telling you, you're going to ruin my case if you-"

"Didn't you hear them?" Anna cut in, leaning forwards too so that Lucifer was surrounded from all sides. "It's not your case any more. It's Gabriel's. And I think you're in their seat."

"Your Honor, surely you can't allow-" Lucifer blustered.

The judge looked frankly bored by all the shenanigans that were happening in her courtroom. "According to California law, a law student is allowed to represent a client if they are supervised by a licensed attorney. Mr Novak, do you have someone who is willing to supervise you?"

Sam cleared his throat and stood up, unable to keep his eyes off Gabriel. "That would be me, Your Honor."

The judge nodded. "In that case, Mr Lucifer, I'd like to ask you to please leave the courtroom so that we can proceed with this case. This trial has already gone on far too long, and I could really use a verdict today and a nice bubble bath."

Lucifer stared at her, dumbfounded, and then quietly stood up. He picked up his briefcase, defeated. 

"Just so you know, Ms Milton, you're going to regret this. And when you're in a prison cell for the rest of your life, I'm not going to be visiting you."

"Don't you worry about that," Anna chuckled. "Only thing worse than being in a prison cell for the rest of my life would be having to put up with you any longer. My assistant will drop off your check tomorrow morning. Thanks for introducing me to Gabriel."

Lucifer didn't reply, just turned and stalked out of the room, his head hanging low.

A small group of people in the back of the room burst into applause, jumping to their feet. Gabriel turned to see who was there, and his eyes fell on Jess, Jo, Meg, Donna, Jody and Castiel, all clustered together in the back of the room, pointing to him and grinning, giving him a thumbs up.

Gabriel took a deep breath. Apparently he had an audience to impress now. He couldn’t remember ever being under more pressure than he was at this exact moment in time.

And he was oddly calm about the whole situation. He knew exactly how high the stakes were, he was completely aware of the fact that if he fucked this up, someone he really cared about was going to have her entire life ruined. And yet, he was confident. He had a lucky stuffed animal perched on his desk, his favorite barrette in his hair and his maybe now official boyfriend by his side helping him, and he could do this.

_ He could do this. _

"Mr Novak? Please call your first witness to the stand."

Gabriel gave himself a moment to collect his thoughts. He'd planned for this. He'd seen more than enough soap operas to know exactly who he should ask for. 

"I'd like to call Ruby Milton to the stand, please."

A young woman with long, straight, glossy dark hair down to her waist stood up, rolling her eyes and looking bored as she strolled over to the stand, acting like this entire case was beneath her. Gabriel suspected otherwise. He was an actor, and he knew that her movements were a little too calculated.

"State your name for the record."

"Ruby Milton," the woman sighed.

"Ruby Milton, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I do." 

Gabriel could sense the condescension in Ruby's tone, and he thought fast, trying to figure out exactly how to get through to her.

"Begin your questioning, Mr Novak."

Gabriel nodded, biting his lip, nibbling off a little bit of lipgloss as he tried to figure out how to begin this.

"According to your... to your statement... you were the one who found the... who found Mr Milton's... your father's body, is that right?"

"Yeah, I found him. After my stupid stepmother killed him. I've been over this before," Ruby stated, her voice making it clear that she thought Gabriel had no idea what he was doing. That only made Gabriel even more determined.

"Could you describe the circumstances that led to you finding the body?"

"Sure," Ruby humored him. "I'd just got out of the shower, and I was going downstairs to make myself a coffee, when I looked through the patio doors in the kitchen and I saw someone lying on the ground. The glass was kinda distorted, so I went outside to get a closer look, and I saw my father lying there with a bullet through his chest. Which kind of sucked. So then I called the police right away, I did everything I was supposed to do, are you happy now?"

"Not particularly, Ms Milton," Gabriel replied, with his best and biggest 'sweeter than cotton candy' smile. "Did you actually see Anna Milton at any point between your shower and your finding the body, or have any reason to believe that she committed this murder?"

"Well, no," Ruby said, with an implied 'duh', "it's not like she was gonna stick around after she'd just shot someone. I know I wouldn't. Obviously she'd already got out the house and driven as far away as possible."

"Right," Gabriel nodded, frantically trying to figure out his next angle.

"Strike that from the record, Your Honor. Speculation," Sam spoke up.

Gabriel grimaced. He really should have noticed that. He wasn't doing well enough, everyone in the courtroom had to be thinking how badly he was doing - especially the prosecution lawyers, who were smirking to themselves over the other side of the room.

"Struck," the judge replied, her voice rivaling Ruby's for how bored it sounded. "Continue your questioning, Mr Novak."

Gabriel took a deep breath. He could not break down here. His only option was to keep going. "Could you tell us a little about your relationship with your stepmother up to this point?"

Ruby shrugged. "I pretty much just tried to stay out of her way. I didn't even know her name until the wedding. Didn't really care. She lives in my house, but she's got nothing to do with me. I got a life to live, you know?"

There was definitely a bitterness in that tone - Ruby sounded more emotional saying that than she had saying anything up until this point. Gabriel was definitely onto something here. "So, when did Anna Milton come home that day, after you found the body?"

"Bout an hour or so. The police were here by that time. She was crying and making a scene and it was so obviously fake and that's when they took her away for questioning."

"And did you notice anything different about her, compared to how she had been earlier? A change of clothes, perhaps?" There was no way that shooting a gun hadn't left some kind of mark - some blood spatter, or maybe some water since they'd been so close to the pool, or gunpowder that backfired. 

If Gabriel could get Ruby to admit that Anna hadn't changed her clothes, then that would put serious doubt in the jury's mind that she could have committed the murder, especially given how fashion conscious she usually was...

"I hadn't seen her that day before, so I wouldn't know," Ruby shrugged, dismissing him. 

Gabriel pulled a face. Damn. That had backfired.

Ruby continued. "Like I said, I'd been busy. I had to meet up with some friends for brunch in the morning, and then from there I went shopping to pick out a new purse for a date I had coming up, and then after that I had to go to my hair appointment right away to get my new extensions, and then I went home."

Gabriel's heart started beating faster. He'd just hit the jackpot.

He couldn't let her know he was onto her. His voice wavered and he attempted to keep it steady, pretending he was just as uncertain as before as he asked, "And can you tell me once again what you did once you got home?"

"I took a shower. It was fucking cold out, and I felt super gross after I walked past these homeless people on the way home."

Gabriel's hand closed around his tiny pink stuffed moose, squeezing her tight for good luck as he kept his eyes on Ruby. "So... around what temperature would you say this shower was?"

"Objection! Irrelevant!" The prosecution lawyer jumped up.

"Irrelevant indeed. Sustained," the judge replied.

Gabriel pouted. "I'm making a point here, I swear."

"Then hurry up and make it!" 

"Okay, okay, okay. So. Do you know for sure that your father was still alive when you got in the shower?"

"Yeah, definitely," Ruby replied. "He called out hi to me when I got in the door. That bitch must have shot him while I was in the shower."

"But you didn't hear the shot..." Gabriel prompted.

"Objection! Leading question," shouted the prosecutor.

The judge considered for a moment. "Overruled.”

"No, I didn't hear the shot, because the shower was on and I was singing. But there must have been a shot, considering, you know, he was dead on the patio when I got downstairs like twenty minutes later."

"That's a fair point," Gabriel allowed, giving her a small smile - just enough so as to seem nice, but not let her know he already had her. “So, was this your first time getting these hair extensions?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah. I've been getting them four or five times a year since I was like, fifteen."

Gabriel nodded knowledgeably. "Okay, so here's the thing. When I started college I got some hair extensions, too. I figured, new start, gonna treat myself. And they were about the same length as yours, too, cause my hair was shorter then. And I loved them. Only, the first night of orientation week, we had a paint party - you know, blacklights, loud music, everyone throwing fluorescent paint at each other. Later that night my friends and I all got in the shower together to wash the paint off our skin, and when we got out of the shower and I brushed my hair, half my extensions came out. Do you know why that is, Ms Milton?"

Ruby snorted. "Probably cause they were cheap ass extensions."

"No, I got them done at the best salon around. Just that morning, actually."

"What's your point, Mr Novak?" the judge barked.

"My point, Your Honor," Gabriel grinned, twisting a strand of hair around his finger and then letting it bounce free, "is that after getting a new set of hair extensions applied, you shouldn't get hot water on them for at least twenty four hours, because it weakens the hot bonds used to attach them to your real hair. That's the first rule of hair extension care. Only, it looks to me that Ms Milton did not have that problem, because her hair extensions are still just as full and intact as they would have been right after she’d had them put in - and as she'd had hair extensions so many times before, she would know all about this, and certainly would not make the frankly amateur mistake of letting them get wet. Therefore, she could not possibly have taken a hot shower once she got home, which means that she must have heard the gunshot going off outside, and would have looked out of her window immediately and seen the murder take place. And therefore, she would have seen Anna Milton running away, placing her definitively at the scene of the crime. And yet... if this were the case... why would she not have said this in her original statement, since she seems so quick to push the blame onto Mrs Milton?"

The judge narrowed her eyes and turned to Ruby. "I never thought I'd say this, but it looks like Mr Novak is making a fair case here. Why did you lie in your statement?"

Ruby opened and closed her mouth a few times, her eyes wide. "I didn't lie in my- okay, maybe I wasn't in the shower, maybe I was just listening to music! Maybe I flushed the goddamn toilet! I didn't hear the shot, okay?"

"You seemed very definite about the fact that you were in the shower until right now," Gabriel pointed out, honestly no longer caring if somebody objected to this, since the jury were muttering among themselves, clearly interested in this development.

Ruby had obviously noticed too, because she sank against the stand, banging her head against it a couple of times. "Look, you don't understand!" she burst out. "Anna's younger than me! Younger! Do you have any idea how it feels when your dad marries someone younger than you? It's disgusting! And she comes in here and she takes over my life and suddenly all my friends would rather be hanging out with her and my dad doesn't give a fuck about me anymore! Can you imagine what that's like?"

Gabriel almost felt sympathetic for her. He did. Because he knew exactly what it was like to have a dad that didn't really care about him. But then he turned to one side and saw the hope in Anna's eyes, and remembered all the pain that Ruby had put Anna through by accusing her of this, and suddenly he didn't feel quite so sorry for Ruby anymore. 

"So you shot your father because you thought he was choosing his new wife over you?"

"No, I shot him because I thought he  _ was _ her! I thought she was supposed to be getting home then, and she always used to go outside and sunbathe then, and I just- I didn't see- I thought-"

Ruby collapsed on top of the stand, burying her head in her hands, realizing she was completely done for. A pair of guards walked forwards and cuffed her, escorting her from the room, and Gabriel didn't see or hear anything else, because Anna was suddenly burying him in the world's tightest hug, sobbing into his shoulder. Gabriel was sobbing too, probably messing up his mascara, and for the first time in his life, he didn't care if anyone saw, he didn't care if his makeup was ruined. He'd done it.

"Ms Milton," the judge said, speaking out above the hubbub. "You're cleared of all charges. This court is dismissed."

She slammed her gavel down and called for everyone to stand, before turning and striding out of the room, shaking her head rapidly like she was trying to shake off the entire case.

Anna clung to Gabriel and the two of them rushed out of the room like some strange four legged creature, and the moment they got outside they were joined by Sam, Jess, Jo, Meg, Donna, Jody and Castiel, and Gabriel was being hugged by so many people all at once that he could no longer tell who was who. And then there was a crowd of reporters around them, sticking their microphones and cameras into Gabriel and Anna's faces, snapping pictures and yelling out their questions.

"No photos, please!" Sam declared, waving his arms around and using his height to shield Gabriel and Anna, and Gabriel was crying and laughing all at the same time as he pushed through the crowd in front of the courthouse, all of them piling towards his car, even though there was no realistic hope that they were all going to fit into it…

There was just one problem.

Kali was waiting right beside the car in question, her arms folded, one black heeled boot propped up against the paintwork.

Gabriel stared, open mouthed, because out of all the people who had come to see his trial, all his friends who'd clearly driven for hours just to sit in a courtroom all day even though they knew nothing about the law beyond seeing two or three episodes of SVU while they put on a face mask one lazy Sunday afternoon... out of all those people, Kali was for sure the one who he'd least expected.

"Kali?" he asked, gazing at her in disbelief.

"Gabriel, could we talk for a moment? Alone?" she almost commanded, staring down the ragtag group of people surrounding him.

"Uh, sure," Gabriel nodded, nervous. He turned to his friends. "You guys can head home, okay? I'll follow in a bit. Party at mine. Here, Sam, you take the key. You all can go in and wait for me there, help yourself to anything from my fridge, I'll buy some more wine on the way home, it's an all day celebration, invite anyone else you want. Sound good?"

"Definitely," Jess grinned. "Don’t be too long, though, you’re the guest of honor!"

"Nah, Anna's the guest of honor," Gabriel said, blushing and waving to the rest of the group as he walked over to a spot of grass beside the courthouse with Kali a couple of steps in front of him.

"I'm very impressed. Only a student and already winning your first murder trial. I have to say, I never thought you had it in you," Kali told him.

"You sound like one of my professors," Gabriel snorted, too high on the endorphins from his win to give a single shit about being rude to her.

Kali frowned. "I'm just trying to give you some credit. First you complain that I think too little of you, and now..."

"Now I think you're always trying to be above me. You're always trying to be the one who gets to decide what I'm worth. I'm always having to try to live up to your expectations. What about me? What if  _ I _ get to decide what I'm worth? What if being proud of myself is the only thing that matters?"

Gabriel laughed, gazing up at the bright blue sky and feeling free from her opinions for the first time in years. He hadn’t realized how much they were weighing him down.

Kali shook her head, completely ignoring him. "I broke up with Castiel."

"What?" Gabriel blinked, thrown by the change in conversation.

Kali held up her hand, now bare, not a ring in sight. "I realized that despite all the history he and I have and the fact that we grew up together, you were the one I was supposed to be with all along. It may have taken you a while to grow into the person that I can be with, but everything is clear now. So, what do you say, Gabriel? You and I, our own firm someday, business partners... maybe partners in marriage too..."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, feeling nothing but dread and suspicion. Something wasn't right here.

"You didn't break up with Castiel, did you?" Gabriel said slowly. "He broke up with you."

Kali scowled. "Of course not. Why would Castiel-"

"When he came to the courtroom today he was sitting with my friends, he's one of the people who congratulated me as soon as I won, he's clearly forgiven me for everything. He left you. He realized that you're a piece of shit and that he honestly deserves a hell of a lot better. Come on. Tell me I'm wrong. Fucking argue with me. I'm a lawyer while you're just a student who's never said a word out loud in a courtroom, who got waitlisted for the school Cas and I got into on our first try, and I can and will argue you into the ground. And I'm not going to be taking you back. Because I don't care how successful you end up being. Maybe you will have your own firm someday and maybe I really never will make it on my own. But I still deserve to be treated like, like Cinderella after she marries the prince, not like Cinderella while her family are making her do all the work with no reward. And I've found someone who's going to treat me much better than you ever did."

Kali stared at him, her mouth falling open. She gave her head a little shake and tried to collect herself. 

"Fine. If you want your life to be some stupid fairytale, then go ahead. You'll only end up with your heart broken again. Meanwhile, I'll be over here living in the real world."

She spun on her heel and strode away towards her car, and Gabriel called out after her.

"Kali, if the fact that I want my life to be a fairytale is news to you, then you obviously never really knew me at all!"

\--

Gabriel had the odd experience of knocking on his own door for the very first time in his life. It swung open almost immediately, Meg beaming at him as she held up a bottle of strawberry vodka that she'd found in the freezer, waving it above his head. "Open your mouth, take a shot!"

"I don't do shots," Gabriel groaned. "They make me feel sick!"

"Fine, fine, wait there," she said, and turned to the makeshift drinks table that his guests seemed to have set up. She poured far more than a shot of vodka into a pink solo cup and topped it up to the brim with pineapple juice, adding a cocktail umbrella and handing it to Gabriel. "Happy now?"

"Yes, very," Gabriel grinned, taking a long swig and wrapping an arm around her. "Who are all these people?"

Castiel danced over, red in the face, his tie loose and his shirt half unbuttoned. "My friends, Sam's friends, a few of Donna's coworkers, a few people we saw on the street who looked like they could use a party... I hope you don't mind."

Gabriel glanced around his apartment, which was completely packed with people, flopping all over his bed, playing catch with his cushions, stringing his fairy lights around themselves, and so many other strange activities - and he laughed. 

"I don't mind at all. Can't remember the last time this many people wanted to hang out with me."

"Well, it's almost summer!" Jo laughed as she danced past with a girl Gabriel had never seen before in his entire life. "You can party every night, make up for lost time..."

"Not if they become a summer associate at my dad's law firm!" Castiel pointed out. "I didn't even say anything to him, he called me half an hour ago, he was watching the trial coverage on TV, he's begging me to get you over to New York City for the summer and work for him!"

"What?" Gabriel gasped. "You're kidding me, right?"

"He's not kidding," Sam smiled, staring at Gabriel with fondness in his eyes. "I was there while he took the call. You have plenty of time to decide, but it does seem like a great opportunity."

"I have always wanted to go shopping in New York..." Gabriel said in wonder. "And it would give you all an excuse to visit, too! You all could fly out there for a week, we could check out all the landmarks, go see a show on Broadway, hit up East Coast clubs... fuck, I need another drink, this is too much excitement for one day, I can't cope with anything else. You guys, don't give me any more incredible news today. I am closing my ears. Let's just dance and enjoy the moment." 

Gabriel tore off his jacket and threw it down on the floor, not even bothering to fold it.

Sam poured Gabriel a glass of rose wine, and one for himself too. He clinked his glass against Gabriel's - he'd managed to retrieve the only two fancy wine glasses from the kitchen and saved them just for them. "You don't want any more incredible news today? None at all?"

Gabriel looked at Sam, biting his lip, his chest suddenly expanding as realized all over again just how beautiful Sam was. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to... if you wanted you and me to... be official. Dating. Together. Boyfriend and... whatever you want me to call you."

"Whatever I want?" Gabriel giggled, already feeling the alcohol going to his head, especially since he hadn't eaten anything yet that day. "Cause I kind of liked it that time you called me your magical fairy princess."

Sam laughed and lifted Gabriel off his feet, sweeping him into a kiss as Gabriel kicked his own shoes off and held tight to Sam's waist.

"Boyfriend and magical fairy princess. Got it," he whispered against Gabriel's lips.

"Yeah, I'll think of something better," Gabriel promised. "But for now I kind of want to focus on kissing you."

 

_The End..._

__

 

__

_...almost_


	14. Epilogue: Legally Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> look at this gay shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say a HUGE thankyou to everyone who has read this story, it really does mean so much to me. I had this idea a long time ago and at first I thought nobody would ever want to read it and that it would be something I'd write just for myself, but it's got an amazing response and it seems like there are lots of people out there who love the story just as much as I do. Legally Blonde is such an important movie to me and Supernatural is such an important show, and combining them and getting such amazing feedback has been really incredible. I usually think my own writing is terrible, but this is one of the few things that I don't hate.
> 
> I'm so sad that this is over, but I'm definitely going to be posting some new long fics in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. I'm also thinking about starting commissions, so send me a tumblr message if you're potentially interested in that.
> 
> Cool thing: someone actually requested that I make a moodboard for this fic, which was also super fun, so if you're interested you can find that [here.](http://guardianangelmisha.co.vu/post/159789772021/anonymous-asked-could-you-maybe-do-a-moodboard)
> 
> I love you all, everyone who's read this fic and said nice things shines (almost) as bright as Gabriel.

**Two Years Later**

"Rise and shine, sweetheart."

Gabriel hit Sam in the face with a fluffy hammer.

"Hey, you used to make me smoothies in the mornings. Whatever happened to romance?"

Gabriel moaned and struggled into a sitting position, glowering at Sam. "You're the one who kept me up half the night with your dumb fingers doing that dumb thing that they do."

"I don't remember you thinking it was dumb last night, in fact, I seem to remember you begging for it more than once," Sam smirked.

Gabriel wrinkled his nose, because he didn't have a counter argument for that, even though he really wanted to prove Sam wrong.

"I'm never going to get over how adorable you are in the mornings," Sam whispered, leaning in to kiss Gabriel's nose, and that was what got the first smile of the day out of Gabriel.

"I'm never going to get over how adorable you are absolutely all the time," Gabriel countered.

Sam stretched and climbed out of the bed, standing there completely naked and running a hand through his bedhead. "Alright, but this adorable guy is gonna take first shower if you don't get your ass out of bed in the next thirty seconds."

"Sam!" Gabriel complained. "You can't have first shower, this is my graduation day, I have to give a speech, I need time to get ready! And also, you're not allowed to see me before the ceremony. That's the rule. I don't want you to see what I'm wearing, it's a surprise."

"I thought that was just for weddings?" Sam grinned, glancing over towards his suit with the tiny ring box in the pocket, wondering if Gabriel knew just how close he was to the truth.

"It's for  _ every _ special day," Gabriel declared. "Says me. And you have to listen to me because I passed the bar exam with the highest score out of everyone in my graduating class."

"I came second in my class!" Sam pointed out. "Unbelievable. If it weren't for Adam Milligan I'd be able to properly argue with you here."

Gabriel threw himself over to Sam's side of the bed and grabbed his hand, tugging him down for a kiss. "Love you," he whispered.

"Yeah, I love you too," Sam beamed, picking up his clothes and carrying them into the living room so that Gabriel could get ready in their bedroom. After all, Gabriel had been the one to pick out the interview suit that got Sam his new job a few months ago, and Sam supposed he owed him an equivalent favor. 

Plus, he was ridiculously proud of Gabriel. Valedictorian of Stanford Law School. Finally, everyone in the entire world appreciated just how amazing Gabriel was.

Gabriel showered as fast as he could with his special occasion shampoo and conditioner, and put on the new dress he'd bought for the occasion, his graduation robe on top of it. He's customized his graduation hat with a pink ribbon in the shape of a heart and a sprinkling of rainbow glitter, his eyeshadow matching the ribbon, his lipstick a perfect Stanford red. 

He slipped his notecards for the speech he'd been working on all week into his pocket, and hovered in the living room doorway, making absolutely sure that the bottom of his dress couldn't be seen underneath the robe.

"You ready?"

Sam stood up, dressed in his suit and matching gold tie, and walked over to take Gabriel's arm. "I'm always ready to see you kick ass, babe."

Gabriel blushed, and the two of them walked out of the building and across the lawn to the marquee where the graduation ceremony was being held. Sam gave Gabriel one final kiss good luck and went to the back to sit with the graduates’ friends and family, while Gabriel headed to the front where the students were sitting, all of them in their matching robes.

"Gabriel!" a voice called, and Gabriel turned to see Castiel in the second row, an empty seat next to him. "I saved you a spot."

Gabriel smiled and went to sit beside his best friend, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Hey. So, we finally made it."

"We made it several weeks ago, Gabriel. This is just the official ceremony."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "So passing the bar hasn't made you any less nitpicky?"

"I'm a lawyer, Gabriel. I have to nitpick. That is quite literally my job."

"And you're going to be amazing at it," Gabriel promised him. "Even if you are going to be living, like, a hundred miles away from me. However are we going to cope? How are our kids going to have playdates? I'm worried about this, Cas."

Castiel chuckled. "I'm still single, I wouldn't worry too much about playdates yet. Perhaps one of us will get a promotion to live nearer the other by then."

"Yeah, you're going to get about twenty promotions in the first year, because who wouldn't want to give you the best job ever? Especially after that case you won last summer," Gabriel pointed out. He and Castiel had gone to London to work as associates at the same law firm the previous summer, and in Gabriel's humble opinion they'd kicked serious ass. They’d also gone on a grand total of fourteen Champagne Experience rides on the London Eye, including three just during Sam's two-week visit.

At that moment, the president of the law school stepped up onto the stage, and the crowd hushed.

"Congratulations, Stanford Law, class of two thousand and seventeen, and welcome to all graduates, friends and family! We're incredibly glad that you've decided to join us for our graduation ceremony today. So, without further ado, before we present the students with their diplomas, I'd like to invite the graduating class's elected speaker, class valedictorian Gabriel Novak. After a slightly difficult start with the school, they have proven to be one of the most capable students and lawyers we have ever had the pleasure of teaching, and they will be heading to Washington, DC to take a job with one of the top law firms out there in just a few months time, after they have coordinated the orientation program for our incoming first years at the end of August. Please give them a huge round of applause!"

Gabriel got to his feet, wobbling a little as he pushed through the row of people on his way to the stage. One of his heels sank into the soft, uneven ground, and he thought for one terrifying moment that he was going to fall - but he managed to right himself and climb the steps onto the makeshift stage.

The president handed over the microphone, and Gabriel had to shorten it a little to be able to reach. Then, he surveyed the crowd of people watching him, biting his lip just like he always did when he was nervous.

"Hi, guys."

The crowd giggled,like they weren't sure if they were supposed to or not. Gabriel was way more nervous than he was in the courtroom when people's entire futures were on the line. How was that even fair?

He pulled out his notecards, glancing down at them, and then looked back up at the crowd.

"When I first came to law school, I didn't have it easy. I don't think anyone did. Law school is difficult for everyone, and no matter our background or our experiences before we came here, it's been a challenge for all of us. For me, personally, I had to deal with a lot of people telling me I was too idealistic, and too emotional. And over my three years here, I've come to realize that they're right. I am idealistic, and I am emotional. And... that's what makes me a great lawyer."

He paused to take in the expressions on his classmates' faces. They were all staring up at him in complete silence. Nobody was laughing or booing. That was a good start.

"In my experience, the cases I've been most successful in, and the cases that I've seen my friends do the best with... are the ones where we're emotionally involved. Where maybe we do have a tiny bit of a conflict of interest. Where we really believe in our client and the cause we're defending. I know that my emotions, and the fact that I want more than anything to do what's right and to help people who need it, is what makes me put the work into a case. Sometimes it would be a lot easier to just go out and get my nails done or go on a day trip to the beach or whatever, but, my emotions and my idealism are what gave me the motivation to keep going. They got me through the hard times of these past three years. And they brought me to where I am today."

Gabriel grinned. The crowd still hadn't moved an inch.

"So, to all the graduates here today, and any younger students or prospective law students who are listening... don't be afraid to care about what you're doing. Don't be afraid to genuinely like your clients, or to trust your instincts on a case. Because... because believing in ourselves, and believing in other people, is the best thing we can possibly do."

Gabriel glanced down at the ground for a moment, swallowing hard, choking back a few tears. He could hardly believe that after all this time and all this hard work, he was actually here.

He took off his hat and tossed it high into the air, calling out to the crowd, "Congratulations, class of 2017 - we did it!"

The crowd roared with applause, everyone leaping to their feet and throwing their own hats, catching ones they hadn't even started with, nobody caring, everyone jamming a hat back onto their head as the president took the stage again, shaking Gabriel's hand and pulling out the roster of students and a huge stack diplomas. Gabriel skipped back down to his seat, elated, a huge smile on his face, clapping and cheering for every name that was called.

\--

"I am so proud of you!" Donna squealed as she wrapped her arms around Gabriel, kissing him on each cheek and leaving lipstick marks, squeezing him as tight as she could so that Gabriel couldn't breathe for a few seconds, her wedding ring digging into Gabriel's side.

Gabriel blushed and ducked his head. "Yeah, I'm proud of you too! This isn't just about me, you know, you just became a licensed massage therapist, you're expanding your store into the building next door, you're doing amazing!"

"She really is," Jody agreed, smiling down at her and Donna's joined hands. "Maybe once she's got that place set up we'll finally be able to take our honeymoon."

"Yeah, if we can agree on a place!" Donna chuckled. "I've told you, I'm not going on vacation anywhere that isn't at least ninety degrees. I need to be able to wear a bikini!"

"But there's so much history in Italy. And romance, too! Gondola rides, the Trevi Fountain at night, can't you just imagine it?"

"Yeah, for a family vacation in five years' time when we have a kid..."

"Okay, I've been through this with my ex husband," a blonde woman said, appearing right behind Donna and Jody. "What you need to do if you can't compromise is go on a cruise round Europe with plenty of stops. So you get to spend a little bit of time in Italy, and also some time further south, in places like Greece and Cyprus where it's hotter. In the summer, it'll get well above ninety degrees there. And then you both get to have the honeymoon you want."

Donna turned to look at the woman in surprise. "That's actually a really good idea considering it came from a complete stranger! Hi, I'm Donna Mills!"

The woman smiled and shook Donna's hand. "Hi, I'm Mary Winchester."

Jody shook Mary's hand too, agreeing that the cruise was actually a pretty great idea, and then Mary enveloped Gabriel in a hug of her own. "Congratulations, sweetheart."

Gabriel hugged back just as tight. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Sam said your parents weren't coming, so I thought I'd show up and surprise you... Bobby's here too, and Dean, the whole family. This is a really important day for you, and everyone should have family around them for their graduation."

Gabriel glowed at being included in Mary's family, and sure enough, when he looked up, Sam, Dean and Bobby were there too, Sam holding a huge bouquet of white roses that he appeared to have conjured from nowhere.

"You guys, you didn't have to," he protested, hugging each of them in turn, very careful not to crush the flowers because he could already imagine just how gorgeous they'd look in front of the big window in his and Sam's living room.

"We wanted to, kid," Bobby replied, patting him on the back.

Castiel tapped Gabriel on the shoulder at that moment, flanked by his own parents, who'd flown in all the way from New York for this. "Hello, Gabriel, I just wanted to introduce you to... to…”

"To your parents?" Gabriel prompted, but Castiel's eyes had glazed over, his mouth hanging open.

Dean took a step forward towards Cas, a similar expression on his face. "Hi, I'm, uh, I'm Dean Winchester. I'm Sam's brother. In case that wasn't obvious from the name. Unless you thought I was his dad or something. No, I'm totally not old enough for that. I'm young. Not like, super young, not like a teenager or anything, I'm his older brother, I'm, uh... yeah. Hi. Congratulations on the, on the graduating."

Sam and Gabriel stared at Dean in confusion. They'd never seen him like this before.

Castiel's cheeks colored and he shook Dean's hand, still looking a bit speechless. "Hello, Dean. I'm Castiel Collins, and I have to say, it is very, very, very nice to meet you."

"That was a lot of 'very's," Gabriel whispered in Sam's ear. "Think we should get out of here?"

"Yeah, probably for the best," Sam whispered, and the two of them rushed away as fast as they could.

\--

Stanford Law School hosted a ball every year for its new graduates and their families. After breaking for lunch and stashing their diplomas and graduation robes somewhere safe, the graduates descended on the college's formal ballroom in their formal clothes. 

Gabriel, of course, had been planning what he was going to wear for at least two years now, and had bought this particular dress back in December, keeping it stashed in a secret drawer at the back of his closet where Sam would never, ever find it - and now, finally, he was going to wear it.

On the most important day of his life.

Right outside the door, Gabriel slipped off his graduation robe, revealing a long, golden dress with shoulder straps, a deep v-neck and back, a tight cinched waist and a skirt made of long, flowing material that trailed on the floor and ended a short train. Most importantly of all, the entire dress was completely covered in golden sequins, every single one sparkling in the light of the old chandelier as Gabriel stepped inside the ballroom.

In future years, he liked to tell himself that everyone in the room turned to stare at him as he walked inside. In truth, that wasn't actually true - most people didn't even notice that anyone new was there. But a few heads did turn.

And the only person that mattered did too.

Sam gasped as he saw Gabriel walk inside in all his finery, his hair shining like a precious metal, just as golden as his dress was. The dress fit him absolutely perfectly, highlighting all the sparkle inside of him, and Gabriel had never looked more confident in himself than he did as he walked towards Sam that day.

Coincidentally, Sam had never been more nervous.

"Hey there," Gabriel whispered as he placed one hand on Sam's waist, guiding him into a slow dance.

"Hi, beautiful," Sam replied, and then shook his head. "No... no, beautiful isn't enough for right now. You're so much more than beautiful. You're radiant. You're starlight condensed into a person. You're..."

“I’m what?”

“Well, uh, I guess I’d better do this now, because I can’t focus on anything else. And because you’ll complain if I wait til your hair’s gone flat.”

Gabriel cocked his head to the side, but didn’t have time to ask. Sam fished his hand into his pocket and pulled out a tiny pale pink velvet box, flipping it open as he dropped to one knee. Inside was a golden ring, a heart shaped diamond set in the center of it, smaller diamond chips off to each side.

"So..." Sam whispered, wide eyes looking up at Gabriel, who already had both hands clasped over his mouth. "I know I'm supposed to make a speech here. But you and I both know that I make speeches about how much I love you, on average every other day. So you already know everything I’d want to say. But I will mention a couple of things, things that are new. First is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Waking up to you every morning, you being cranky and complaining that you don't have anything to wear and clinging to me like a limpet and not letting me move... I've never been happier while waking up. And I want to keep doing that forever.”

Several heads turned as people dancing nearby realized what was going on. A ripple spread round the dancefloor, centered around Gabriel, and the moment was everything he could have possibly dreamed.

“And second is that today you look the most beautiful I've ever seen you, but... I have this suspicion that maybe you might look even more beautiful in a wedding dress. And I know you're focusing on your career and that you're going to be the world's best lawyer, and I think you’re amazing for it, but if you happen to have a free weekend next summer... Gabriel Novak, would you maybe like to marry me?"

Gabriel opened his mouth and stared at Sam, shaking his head not as a rejection, but in sheer wonder and amazement. He looked around at all the people watching them, waiting to hear his answer - and, in that moment, he realized that none of them were important. The only person who mattered was Sam.

Gabriel crouched down too, hovering next to Sam so that he could look into his eyes, completely on the same level, as he said, "Sam, there's no maybe about it. There never has been. I can't imagine anything that would make me happier than marrying you."

And that's the story of how Gabriel Novak finally got a beautiful diamond ring on his finger - four years later than he expected, from a completely different person than he first thought, on a night when he was happier than he ever believed he could possibly be.

**~ ♡ _The End_ ♡ ~**


End file.
